Weightlifters off to Tunis for camping

Ghanaian weightlifters Juliana Arko and Christian Amoah last Thursday left Ghana to begin a two-week training camp in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, ahead of the African qualifiers for the Youth Olympics in Nanjin, China.      

The qualifiers, which start on April 16, is an academic exercise for Arko who has already qualified for the Youth Olympics after a brilliant display at last year’s African Weightlifting Championships in Casablanca, Morocco, where she won an impressive eight medals: six silver and two bronze.

But for Amoah, it is an opportunity to grab a coveted slot for Youth Olympics which starts on August 16 later this year. 

The president of the Ghana Weightlifting Association (GWA), Ben Nunoo Mensah, told the Daily Graphic that both athletes were in high spirits ahead of the trip and his outfit was looking forward to Amoah’s qualification.

“Julianna Arko has already qualified but the competition will be good for her development as a lifter and we also have high hopes for Christian Amoah who has showed a lot of promise in training,” he said.