Kenya has received a wild card slot in weightlifting for the
London Olympics. On Monday, the National champion Mercy Obiero Apondi received a
chance to represent the nation in the Olympics by the International Weightlifting
Federation (IWF).
She had failed to gain the slot at the African senior
Weightlifting Championship held in Nairobi in March and April. At the
qualifiers Kenya women finished eighth with Algeria being the overall best,
while the men’s side finished tenth with Nigeria leading the pack.
Obiero who is placed 25th in Africa has competed
in weight categories ranging from 69kg to 63kg and has a personal best of 115kg
in the clean and jerk and a further 80kg in the snatch.
In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Obiero settled for a distant sixth
in the women’s 63kg after amassing a total of 156kg with 91kg in the clean and
jerk and 65kg in the snatch.
Obiero will now represent the nation alongside boxers Benson
Gicharu and Elizabeth Andiego, as well as the Dunford brothers who participate
in the swimming division.
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