Weight on their shoulders

Nigeria's Ruth Ogbeifo lifting for gold at the 1999 All-Africa Games

From Eniwoke Ibagere in Lagos  

Women will be competing in the weightlifting event at the Olympics for the first time at the Sydney Games and the Africans will not be left behind in the quest for honours.

But only Nigeria women lifters will be on parade from the continent - and a tantalising prospect awaits spectators in Sydney.

In an awesome display of power, the Nigerian squad of seven women made a clean sweep of all 21 gold medals on offer at last year's All-Africa Games in Johannesburg.

Each won three golds in the clean and jerk, snatch and total categories and set a string of African championship records.

"We proved we could lift the weight of Africa, now we head for Sydney to see if we can lift the entire Australia," said coach Bulgarian-born Ivan Canev.

"We're determined to show the world that Nigeria is the new Mecca of women weightlifting."

Squad

Four women make up the Olympics squad and their brightest prospect is Ruth Ogbeifo, who competes in the 75kg class.

She won three bronze medals at the 1999 World Championships in Athens and is currently rated second-best in the world.

Evelyn Ebhomien and Franca Gbodo, with a cheeky reputation of sticking out her tongue after a successful attempt, both in the African Games team will also compete in Sydney.

We're determined to show the world that Nigeria is the new Mecca of women weightlifting

  Coach Ivan Canev

The Nigerians will face stiff opposition from the Eastern Europeans and the Chinese, holders of four world records in the 48 kg, 58 kg, 69 kg and 75 kg classes.

An "unfortunate episode" that occurred to one of their Olympic medal hopes may have been forgotten but they have to cope with that psychological disadvantage.

Banned

Bilkisu Musa, who competes in the over-75 kg category, was given a two-year ban by International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) in June after testing positive for using steroids.

Musa, a mother of three, set three continental records at last year's African Games and won a bronze medal at the world championships in Athens.

According to the IWF, "traces of the banned anabolic steroids norandrosterone and noretiocholanolone were found in the urine sample of Musa" after a pre-Olympic Test Event held in Sydney in March.