Weightlifter Adijat Olarinoye has shown that nothing is impossible as long as one can dream it. What started as a pastime has made the 23-year-old a household name in the country as far as weightlifting is concerned . Her medals includes the African, Commonwealth and world titles but she is yet to fulfill her dream of clinching an Olympics medal. But a determined Olarinoye is aiming for a podium finish at Paris 2024, OLALEKAN OKUSAN writes
Adijat Olarinoye is fast becoming the face of weightlifting in Nigeria with her record-performance at various international tournaments.
At 23, she can boast of several medals which she captured at the African and Commonwealth Games as well as World Championships. The only medal missing in her cabinet is the Olympic Games but the National Open University (NOU) undergraduate believes it is within her reach.
“I am really looking forward to qualifying for my first Olympic Games in Paris, France. I hope my dream of competing at the Olympic Games works out because I want to train abroad in a very good environment with modern facilities. I believe I’m going to qualify and win an Olympics medal,” she said emphatically.
But Olarinoye’s romance with sports did not start with weightlifting as she ventured into the iron-pumping sport by coincidence.
“Weightlifting was not my first sport as my first sport was judo among others,” she said. “But my mum’s shop was close to the weightlifting gym and I watch them train every day.
“Due to my interest, I was invited to the gym by Coach Tena Omogbayi and that was how one thing led to the other, and here I am today as African and Commonwealth champion.
“Weightlifting is totally different to other sports; I can confirm that it is the mother of all sports because if you are a swimmer, gymnast, or wrestler, you need to visit the gym. As for weightlifters, you need all the dedication and commitment.
“Weightlifting is a sport that does not allow you to use your whole body to do other things apart from the sport. It is not that you cannot do other things but something that will still drain your energy like it does not exist. It does not like you taking part in other things that will take much of your strength like it does,” she added.
Like every athlete, Olarinoye initially did not get support from her parents but she’s soldering on.
“When I started weightlifting, my father was against it and he insisted that I must go to school because I can’t do sport as it is not that relevant in Nigeria,” she revealed.“ But my mom has been a great supporter: emotionally, financially, spiritually in everything.
“She has been standing by me and she is still standing by me as she remains my greatest supporter.
“I’m this kind of person that wants to achieve something that is kind of difficult but I will try and do it. “When I go to competitions, I will say to myself that I want gold and my ambition will become a reality just like what happened at the African and Commonwealth Games as well at the World Championships. “This time around, I’m aiming for gold at the Olympic Games and I will work hard toward it to achieve it and that is the way I motivate myself.”
Though doping issue had in the past dominated weightlifting in Nigeria, Olarinoye said her strong parental guidance and strong ethics has been her abiding principles.
She volunteered: “God has helped me keep off doping and drugs as a weightlifter and I see this as upbringing.
“I was brought up in a gym where it is not welcome at all .When I was younger , ; I take pain killers when I feel like my body hurts but my coach always advised that I cannot do that.
“ Rather, he would say I have to train my body by eating good food and you can make it. Your body will be relaxed and ready to work the next day.
“ I was not brought up with drugs and doping, I just keep my fitness by eating good food and training.”
To keep off injury, she said: “As an athlete, you should know that injuries are prone to happen and there are other ways to avoid it. Know when your body needs to relax, know when to stop, know when to continue, know what to eat and what not to do.
“Avoid things that will cause damage to your body system. There are so many things we need to avoid though it is prone to happen, there are some things we need to avoid among others.
“You have to keep off these things to avoid injuries but it is something that is prone to happen but we just pray it doesn’t happen.”
Despite tempting offers from other nations, she said: “I have never thought of dumping Nigeria for other countries. The only thing I think about is that I always love to go to school and train abroad where I can have good facilities. I believe when I train in a good school with good facilities, I will be able to win more medals and put Nigeria in a very high place in my sport as it will also help my career as well.”
With the hopes of furthering her education in her mind, the Commonwealth Games gold medalist can wait to pursue her studies alongside sport.
She said: “I’m not sure when I will quit sports because I want to go to school but I don’t have the opportunity yet.
“I want to study and do other things in life. There are other things I wish to achieve apart from weightlifting which I am not getting the chance for now because of weightlifting. I can’t say this is what will make me quit the sport.”
She however, tasked the government to pay more attention to athletes’ welfare. “I will commend the government’s effort, but they should do more.
”Take a look at the Commonwealth Games, we won Nigeria first gold medal which was won by me and if they had given us an opportunity for training tours, a long camping for any competition, funding for qualifications and all that, we are going to perform excellently at the Olympic Games.
“I believe we can do so many things because we have the potential but sometimes I look at some athletes and I wonder why is it that I can’t get to this level, is it that i can’t get there or I don’t have what it takes to get there or I’m not getting some things that can push me there.
“I just tell myself whatever you have now, make good use of it and go for whatever you want and you will get it.”
Olarinoye who earned Nigeria its first gold medal at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, was recently named among the 12 athletes to be appointed to the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa Athletes’ Commission (ANOCA-AC) as a member of the board.
Olarinoye’s appointment was approved at an ANOCA Forum held in Algiers, Algeria in March, which had in attendance over 100 athlete representatives from more than 50 National Olympic Committee (NOC) Athletes’ Commissions (ACs) across Africa.
An excited Olarinoye told NationSport that she was honoured with the appointment while promising to use the good office to better the lots of athletes across the continent. “I am indeed pleased and honoured to be considered for such a prestigious office and I believe this will help broaden my knowledge working with top administrators in the continent and I hope I can also represent the interest of the African athletes. I believe this will also help me being an athlete championing the interest of athletes in the Olympic body,” she added.
In a related development, President of Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF), Dr Ibrahim Abdul said he was working behind the scenes to ensure that Nigeria returns to the Olympic Games in Paris, France as well as pick medals amid challenges of funding the sport.
“One of my targets when I assumed office as the President is to qualify the country for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games,” he said.“ We are still in line with our pathways and everything is going according to plan, hopefully we qualify and make the country proud
“One of our major challenges is finance but so far, we are able to put resources together to project most of our programmes and by the special grace of God, we are looking for sponsors and partners that are willing to support our federation and our programmes because weightlifting is a big sport in the world and Nigeria. Finance is really our major challenge.”
With several medals in their kitty, he believes more are still on the way for the country through weightlifting.
“As you can see since we came on board, weightlifting has been moving from strength to strength and our major strength is the fact that we are united, always in camp, we try to look at the welfare of the athletes because they trust us when we make promises to them, they know we will do our own side. When they go out there, to perform and deliver based on their promises.
For Paris 2024, Abdul would not want just wants Nigeria’s s participation but for the country’s contingent to win medals even as he promised to ensure welfare of the athletes.
He explained: “We are hoping to qualify about four athletes – two male and two female that will make the country proud. The athletes will be the best that we have in the country and these athletes will go out there and make us proud.
“The welfare of the athletes is very paramount to us and we don’t take it for granted. They are happy with us and as you can see, the athletes are well paid and we are up to date in our allowances for the Commonwealth Games.
“Even their camping allowance has been paid up to date. We don’t play with the welfare of the athletes and we continue to build this symbiotic relationship and they are willing to give their all for the country.”
On the first hurdles to Paris which takes place in Tunisia next month, Abdul said: “The Senior African Championship will take place in Tunisia and Nigeria will surely be there. We will be in camp in the next one week for the preparation. The athletes were in touch and they know what they are currently doing and we are in a very good place. Hopefully, we will go there and start our Olympics preparation journey.”