Mercy Obiero bows out of London Olympics

Kenyan weightlifter Mercy Obiero Apondi finished last in group B after managing a total of 181kg in the women 69kg category, which was won by Canada’s Beauchemin-Nadeau Marie Eve who had a combined score of 239kg on Wednesday afternoon.  

It’s not all gloom for the Olympics debutant and Kenya’s first woman to participate in the games, as her 181kg sets a new East African record.

After three lifts, Obiero managed her best of 76kg in Snatch before notching up 105 Kg in the Clean and Jerk. Tunisia’s Ghada Hassine finished second with 222kg ahead of Ecuador’s Rosa Silva with 210 kg.

Having qualified for the Games as a wildcard entry by the World Weightlifting Federation, Obiero is targeting the Commonwealth Games where she has vowed a gold medal for Kenya.