3 female lifters to take part in Asian Senior Weightlifting
Weightlifter Mabia Akter Simanta, who burst into the limelight by winning a gold medal in 12th South Asian Games, hoped to continue her impressive show in Asian Senior Weightlifting Championship in Uzbekistan later this month. SA Games silver medalists Sathi Akter and Pullapati Chakma will join Simanta in the competition, scheduled from April 22 to 30.Though winning a medal is an unlikely prospect for Bangladesh in this competition, the three female weightlifters are taking the competition very seriously as it provides them with a chance of qualifying for this summer’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
A tripartite commission made up of the International Weightlifting Federation, Association of National Olympic Committees and the IOC will award 10 ‘wildcard’ slots to six men and four women for Rio de Janeiro in Weightlifting.
Bangladesh Weightlifting Federation officials said IWF will set a benchmark for each event in Uzbekistan in order to consider a weightlifter for Olympics wildcard.
It means a good performance in this championship can help Bangladeshi weightlifters get a wildcard for Rio Olympics.
‘We don’t have any medal hopes in this competition because most of the participants in the championship are world class,’ said BWF secretary Mohiuddin Ahmed
‘But if the lifters can earn the benchmark, the chance of getting a wild-card for Olympics will be increased.’
Samantha also vowed to give her best in the championship
‘I will try my best to earn the benchmark,’ said the 17-year-old Simanta, who started training for the competition on March 11.
‘Now my only dream is to compete in the Olympics but I know that it will not be so easy because I have to compete with some of the world’s best lifters there [Uzbekistan].
-With New Age input
