Top on the list is African and Nigerian Youth Champion Islamiyat YUSUF Adebukola (58kg), others are Ajayi James Eche (56kg), Umoafia Edidiong Joseph (62kg), Opadeji Adedapo Adeleke (69kg), Agba Ebelechukwu Vennesa (48kg) and Folarin Morufat Ajoke (44kg).
An official of the Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, who spoke to us from the team’s camp in Abuja said they are confident of the team’s chances of winning medals for the country in Algeria.
“We are confident and happy that we made the right selections. We picked based on merit and present form, we believe the chosen athletes will make the country proud in Algeria,” she said.
Also speaking from Abuja, Osun State born Islamiyat YUSUF, who is the current African and National Champion in Weightlifting said she is glad and focused on representing Nigeria again.
“We have been working so hard in the past few weeks and we are hopeful to get a very positive result in Algeria.
“We were given the best preparation and it’s just normal for us to reciprocate with medals in Algiers and that’s just what we are going to do.” She concluded.
The third edition of the African Youth Game will hold from the 19th of July to the 28th in Algiers, Algeria and will be the qualifying process for the Summer Youth Olympics Games, which will take place in Buenos-Aires, Argentina from the 6th of October to the 19th 2018.