The last group of weightlifters representing Nigeria at the 2023 International Weightlifting Federation, IWF, Championship has returned home after taking home three medals from the competition held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

They solidified their chances of qualifying for the 2024 Olympic Games on Thursday before arriving at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Amaechi Agbo, the media officer for the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), revealed this in a statement on Saturday.

Recall that the IWF Championship, which is run by the international weightlifting federation IWF, also functions as the 2024 Olympic Games qualifying event.

After finishing their competition, the first group of the contingent arrived home on Monday.

The athletes include Folashade Rafiatu Lawal and Olarinoye Adenike Adija.

Lawal and Adija both competed in the 59kg women’s category.

Other athletes include Ayodele Ruth Imoleayo, who won the three medals in the 64kg women’s category, and Edidiong Umoafia, who competed in the 73kg men’s category.

Also, the second and last batch of the contingent, comprising two athletes, Joy Eze Ogbonne, who competed in the 71kg women’s category, and Akano Desmond, who competed in the 89kg men’s category, returned to the country on Thursday through Ethiopia Airlines at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Meanwhile, Nigeria consolidated her Olympic Games qualification aspirations as two lifters, Imoleayo and Lawal, made it into the top 10 positions in the IWF Championship.

Speaking in Abuja, the Secretary-General of the Federation, Melvina Ashinedu Apeh, said Nigeria’s chances of Paris Olympic Games weightlifting event qualification are still intact.

“Our Olympic qualification is still intact. We have two lifters who made it within the 10th position in the IWF Championship,” Apeh said.

Nigeria will participate in three more competitions (the IWF Grand Prix in Doha, the 2023 Africa Championship, and the IWF World Cup in Thailand) before the Olympic tickets are determined.