Tag: Folashade Oluwafemiayo

Folashade Oluwafemiayo, the record- setting para-power lifter at the recently concluded Paris 2024 Paralympics,   life has equally been  rewarding  outside  the gym and she readily  admitted  that  being in the sport has  helped her  achieved  much against all odds, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN. 

Nigeria’s para-powerlifting star, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, has sensationally  revealed  secrets of her record-breaking performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, adding  aside perseverance and endurance over the years, constant  eating  of pounded yam  has equally  boosted  her  energy towards podium finishes over the years. 

Last month in Paris, the three-time world champion broke her existing mark in the over 86kg category, becoming the first female para-athlete in history to lift 166kg. After  securing the gold medal,  she returned to lift 167kg and improve her world record.

 “I am so happy and felt very great for breaking the record and I’m  still hoping to set new ones; it was an amazing thing to have done  that for my country,” Folashade  who will be 40 next March in 2025,told NationSport. “I was super excited because competing among  the best in the world was not easy not to talk of winning and breaking records, it was a great moment for me.”

Though  fate  took her  to power-lifting as a way of life, the Ondo State native would  be  the first to  admit that her puritanical  devotion   has enhanced  her  status  as a celebrated power-lifter.   

She continued  her  grass to grace story: “To be candid ,it was not easy out there (before I became a power lifter). After my secondary education at Zawan Comprehensive  College in Jos,  Plateau State, I decided to look for job but was denied due to my disability. I faced discrimination because of my  disability  but it was my uncle (Mr. Dayo) who informed me there was a sport for special people like me but I was like, what sport someone like be involved with?

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 “Not until  I met John Oguntoye who was into para-lifting; he  told me  there is a sport I can do. He told me to come to Rwang Pam Township Stadium  in Jos  on  a particular Monday where I first trained and  saw many other people with disabilities at the  gym. 

 “I started para lifting  in 1999  and  I lifted 80kg and then went to Bauchi in 2000.

“My first National Sport Festival  was in Edo State 2002 where I won a silver medal, and ever since I’ve been winning gold medals for Plateau State. “

As they say, beginning is half done  and  Folashade, the para-lifting upstart of yesterday  has indeed  become a global icon of the sport  in spite of her physical challenges. 

She  won her second Paralympic gold medal  in the 86kg cadre at Paris 2024 following  her previous feat at the delayed Tokyo 2020 event in 2021.  She was  a silver medallist in the 1975kg event at the London 2012 Paralympics. 

Aside  her superlative performances at the paralympics, she has shone brightly like the neon light in the dark at the World Championships and the  Commonwealth Games  as well . 

She  successively won the gold medal  of the  86kg events  at the World Championships in 2017 (Mexico);2019 (Nur-Sultan) and 2021 (Tbilisi).  She was also the gold medal winner in the heavyweight category   at the last 2022 Commonwealth  Games in Birmingham.

“I’ll say if you have passion for something, you’ll go for it,” she said with some philosophical hues after  her gold medal finish in Paris. “ It was the passion and determination  that  has  seen  me through.

“First and foremost,   I am happy doing what i am doing, so that is an advantage for me. This, coupled with training hard  is another important factor and  one needs not  to relent  efforts in order to remain at the top so that other countries won’t beat the record.

“Of course, athletes from other countries are not sleeping ,so I  have to continuously be at my best,” she added. 

Though powerlifters  are often encouraged  to  consume about  4-8 grams of carbs per kilogram of body weight per day by  focusing on complex carbs like whole grains, vegetables, fruits and moderate fat intake, Folashade  explained her love  for pounded  yam  has greatly  enhanced her capacity. 

 “I love pounded yam and eat it at least thrice in a week,” she said.“I eat twice a day, morning and evening.

“Don’t forget, I am from Ondo state and I will say without hesitation  that I derived my energy from eating pounded yam(laughter,).

“Eating pounded yam serves as energy booster for me. I love it so much,” she surmised. 

For Folashade, being a para-power lifter  has equally been  rewarding  outside  the gym, and she readily  admitted  that  being in the sport has  helped her  achieved  much against all odds. 

“Para-lifting sport has kept me  till this time  and that is where I make money to feed myself and family,”  explained Folashade who is married to another Paralympic athlete, Tolulope Owolabi, with who they have kids. “It has really brought me glory in all aspects because without the sport , nobody have known me and I might not have become what I am today 

 “I give all glory to Almighty God for His blessings in my life.”

Away  from the gym, Folashade has equally  extended her frontiers  with education yet her  focus is  achieving more as a para-athlete: “I earned a diploma in computer after secondary school but I’m not into other jobs because of my trainings. 

“All I do is sports because I have to train and keep fit all the time. I still want to create more records as long as I am still competing.

“ It will be difficult to achieve all of that if I am working and competing but for now, I am into full sporting activities. 

“I’m hoping to further my education in nursing and hope to become  referee in powerlifting in the nearest  future. Yes, surely as I can’t be an athlete forever. I will go for referee course later when I’m ready to retire.”

In a world  where the physically-challenged a re look down  by the uninitiated, Folashade  reckoned  that  such misconception is wrong, affirming  that there is indeed abilities in disabilities.

“I’ll say there is ability in disability,” she noted matter-of-factly.“ I’ll advice people not to look down on us, we need your love and encouragement. Moving closer to us will make you realize we are very cool and pleasant people unless we feel cheated. 

“I would love the government to invest in us in order to improve in our sports. Also, government should liaise with private companies to endorse us and there should be monthly allowance from the sports ministry as grants and this will help us a lot.

“ There are many opportunities out there  for us but we are  lacking behind due to financial issues but with government supports ,many of us will be encouraged to doing more.”

Yet despite  being honoured  recently  with other paralympics athletes  that  finished on the podium  at Paris  2024, Folashade  still have some sentiments  bothering on the welfare of  the physically challenge athletes  should she has  the  opportunity of a face-to-face encounter  with the sports-loving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“What will be my  request If by any chance I run into President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?” she asked rhetorically .“He (Mr. President) should empower us as special athletes making the country proud at any major international competitions .

“We need to be encouraged. The government should establish us by providing standard  sporting facilities for the special people. We have talents but lacking behind in terms of facilities. The facilities we see outside the country are intimidating but for our determination to making the country proud, we don’t allow it to overwhelm  us.

“We are naturally gifted, so government should focus on the provision a befitting and well equipped gym for us.

“For instance, the gym provided for us at national stadium in Surulere, Lagos  , is always flooded when it rains  which makes training impossible and also other sporting equipment needs urgent replacements,” she added. 

Nigeria’s para powerlifters and other Team Nigeria contingent to the Paralympics are back in the country after amassing seven medals in Paris. Gold medalist and World Record setter, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, here shed light on how they made the nation proud and what  next after their glorious outing, writes TUNDE LIADI

Nigeria’s para-powerlifting star, Folashade Oluwafemiayo, is clamouring for a stop to the discrimination on athletes living with disabilities,  insisting they deserve better treatment and should never  be considered lesser to their  abled  counterparts.

Oluwafemiayo set a new World Record in the over 86kg when she lifted 167kg at the Paris  Paralympic Games in France and she reckoned  that physically challenged athletes have brought lots of laurels to the country and deserve better treatment for their efforts.

“The discrimination is just too much and I believe we deserve better treatment with all that we have achieved for the nation. Things should not wait until we attend competitions and win medals,” Oluwafemiayo said.

“We should be celebrated all year long and not just be limited to certain period of the year.

“ We should have endorsements from corporate bodies and also get the recognition from the Federal Government. We can work and deserve to be gainfully employed.”

Speaking on her  gold medal podium finish  and World Record performance in Paris, Oluwafemiayo  said  her dedication and devotion to her trade was  crucial in realizing her goals.

The three-time world champion broke her existing mark in the over 86kg category, becoming the first female para-athlete in history to lift 166kg.

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With the gold medal secured, the 39-year-old then  lifted  167kg and improve her world record.

 “I just love training and I keep on doing it. Even when I’m sick, I still go for training,” Oluwafemiayo  further told  NationSport. “I never allow anything to distract me, though sometimes I have pains.

“But still, I don’t want anything that will hinder me from achieving my goal.”

Oluwafemiayo had won gold in the under 86kg weight class at Tokyo 2020 but admitted she  nervous at first in front of a packed  audience Porte de la Chapelle Arena  in Paris which  was a stark contrast to empty stands during the coronavirus- affected games in Japan three years ago.

 “My first lift, I was shivering somehow, but coming out for the second one, that confidence just came,” she said.”I was praying that God just give me the strength, so the confidence just came from nowhere. I have that confidence to do more.”

Oluwafemiayo held the world record at 165kg before competition, and also beat her compatriot Josephine Orji’s Paralympic record of 160kg with her second lift.

 “When I went for that 166 kg I felt I still had some strength in me,” Oluwafemiayo said.”I was just giving a try, not knowing that everything will go well.

 “As a first woman to set a record of 167kg, I feel very happy. Achieving the gold medal and the world record, I feel great because it has been my dream.

“This is what I want, and I went for it.”

Incidentally, Oluwafemiayo only  turned to powerlifting in 1999 but her career has blossomed since the London 2012 Paralympics, where she won silver in the 75kg category.

She has a Commonwealth Games gold medal in her collection alongside her world and Paralympic titles, which have made her a shining light in the sport.

Meanwhile, President of Nigeria Para-Powerlifting Federation, Chiemeka Charles Ezenwanne,  has  applauded Oluwafemiayo  for her superb performance in Paris, saying her dedication and seriousness to training has made her to be the queen of her weight class.

 “She is disciplined. [The] commitment is her own,” Ezenwanne told BBC Sport Africa. “That victory is for the whole of Africa and Nigeria. I am grateful to God for her strength.”

Nigeria’s powerlifters won four medals in total in the French capital, which all came from the women on the team.

Onyinyechi Mark, making her first appearance at the Paralympics, set a new world record of 150kg in the 61kg category while fellow debutant Esther Nworgu clinched the silver medal in the 41kg class despite concerns over a dislocated shoulder.

 “I never expected any medal from this competition, reason being that I sustained an injury and the doctors confirmed that I should not compete because it will get critical,” Nworgu told BBC Sport Africa. “I want to rule my world. I want to win gold medals, break records and create records.

“That was my intention before coming but injury comes in.”

For Oluwafemiayo, the overriding emotion was pride.

 “Being the captain of the team, I wish all of us win our medal,” Oluwafemiayo said.

 “I’m very happy for Esther, Gift (Mark Onyinyechi) and Bose Omolayo, because she won silver too. So, I give God glory on behalf of them.”

 ‘I want medals to come from other African countries’

The remarkable success of African competitors was evident in the powerlifting medal table in the French capital.

Egypt closed the Paralympics with two golds, two silvers and two bronze medals to finish third, one place ahead of Nigeria.

The West African nation had topped the standings at the 2012 and 2016 Games and finished second behind China at Tokyo 2020.

 “I feel very great for Africa, and I pray for more of it,” Oluwafemiayo said. “I don’t want it to come from only Nigeria, I want medals to come from other African countries.”

China dominated the powerlifting event with 15 medals in 20 events, but Oluwafemiayo is optimistic the performance of Egypt and Nigeria will inspire other African countries.

 “I pray that the spirit of unity in sports will bind us together so that more athletes will come from Africa, and Africa will continue to be number one all over the world,” she said.

Nigeria’s Olympic team returned home without a medal from Paris, and the contrast is clear with the Paralympians who took home seven medals.

Yet funding remains a major point of contention for Nigerian para-athletes.

 “They (administrators) should give us good facilities and equipment to train, because when we have good equipment to train, we have improvement,” Oluwafemiayo explained.

 “We have private companies that are supporting the athlete, but in Africa and in Nigeria, we don’t have that.”

Also speaking on her feat in Paris, Para-power lifter women’s 79kg, Bose Omolayo , said she was  happy to have  won a silver medal in Paris , stressing  she could have retained the gold medal she won at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics if she had not sustained the injury in the build up to her second lift.

Omolayo noted that she was prepped up for the Paralympic game and that seeing other contestants perform well in Paris brought out the best in her and that despite the injury she managed to hold on to the second position as it was difficult to overreach the power lifter in the first position.

The 35-year-old said she would take time off to rest for quite some time before she will return to training and that her priority now is to ensure she recovers from her injury.

“I am happy to win another medal despite the odds I faced in Paris. I went for 145kg in my first lift because I knew it would go well but as I was about to lift 151kg in my second I felt a sound in my hand area and despite my desire’s to lift even more, I was unable to do so,” Omolayo said.

“I do not have the desire to quit the sport yet. I will do my best to make myself ready for upcoming competitions.”

Meanwhile, team Nigeria Paralympic Athletes to the just concluded Paris 2024 Paralympic Games have praised the wife of the country’s president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu,  for her love for physically challenged athletes.

The First Lady recently received the athletes and officials of Team Nigeria to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games at the State House, Abuja.

The medallists at the Games were Folashade Oluwafemiayo, Onyinyechi Mark (Gold), Esther Nworgu, Flora Ugwunwa, Omolayo Bose (Silver), Ogunkunle Isau and Eniola Mariam Bolaji (Bronze).

Speaking with NationSport, Folashade Oluwafemiayo thanked the First Lady for being a lover of physically challenged athletes and she affirmed that her recent gesture has endeared her to them even more.

“I am thrilled to have gotten this type of recognition from the Federal Government and I want to sincerely appreciate Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her kind gesture,” Oluwafemiayo said. “She has shown over the years that she truly loves the physically challenged people and that she has reminded us of with the way she hosted us and the financial incentives that came along with it.

“I have vowed to continue to give my best for my fatherland in as much as I am alive and healthy. I am impressed with what we have been given and it will spur us to do more.”

Omolayo, who won a silver medal in para powerlifting women’s 69kg with a lift of 145kg,  also appreciated the unwavering support of the country’s First Lady especially the hosting of the Paris 2014 Paralympians to a lavish reception and her humanitarian services for the physically challenged people generally.

“I want to specially thank the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her heart of gold and her love for us,”  Omolayo, who won gold medal at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 said.

“We are pleased with the financial incentives but we want to appeal to the Federal Government to provide job opportunities for us so that we can have something doing when we do not have competitions to attend.

“This will help us cater for ourselves better,” she added.