IWF120y/89 – 2008: Maryam Usman, Nigeria’s strongest woman

Besides Egypt, an early and traditional powerhouse in our sport, the continent of Africa only medalled with two other countries at Olympic weightlifting events: Nigeria (one silver and one bronze) and Cameroon (one bronze). The Nigerian success story has two women playing the leading roles: Ruth Ogbeifo and Maryam Usman. The first one shone at the 1999 World Championships (bronze), successfully qualifying for the Sydney 2000 Games, the first edition open to women. In Australia, in the 75kg category, she earned the silver, lifting 105-140-245. By that time, Usman was only 10 years old, but would become a collector of successes at the highest level. In 2007, she was a silver medallist at the African Games and one year later, in Beijing, she got the Olympic bronze in the +75kg category, with 115-150-265 (she was initially fifth, but was upgraded after two athletes tested positive for prohibited substances). It was the pinnacle of a career that would also include a third place at the 2011 IWF World Championships, four African titles, and one victory at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Usman took part in two more editions of the Olympics: in London 2012 she bombed out in the Clean & Jerk section (after making her best at international level in the Snatch – 129kg), and in Rio 2016 (photo) she finished in ninth place. With a personal Total best of 125-156-281 (at the 2012 African Championships), Usman retired after the Brazilian rendezvous, remaining to the present day the last Nigerian lifter with an Olympic medal.