Indonesian LIFTER Eko Yuli Irawan admitted that his preparations for appearing at the World Weightlifting Championship, IWF World Cup 2024, in Phuket Thailand, March 31 to April 11 are only 90% complete.
Eko Yuli is determined to perform well at the world championships in order to win a ticket to the fifth Olympics in his career, the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Preparations are only 90% because yesterday we were recovering from injuries too. Hopefully we have enough time to get to the big day and be ready because this is also for the national selection because in this class there are two who are in the top ten in the world,” said Eko Yuli Irawan, Tuesday (26 /3).
The lifter who won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has now recovered from a leg injury following previously being absent from the 2024 Asian Weightlifting Championships, which took place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
“(Recovery) has been going on since the beginning of last year. There has been improvement and progress. Hopefully we in Phuket will be able to maximize it on the big day. If you say that now the condition of your knees and training is at 90%,” said the lifter who also donated a medal. silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Eko Yuli, currently, is competing in the 61 kg number which requires him to face his junior, Ricko Saputra, to fight for a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics. This is because there are new provisions from the IWF which stipulate that one country can only send one contingent in one event number. .
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Regarding this competition, Eko admitted that he was not afraid even though he was facing Ricko Saputra because now his position is still superior in terms of calculating qualifying points.
“The important thing is, who is the best between these two. Because, currently, my points are higher, so I will control the story. For Ricko, for example, being able to lift 301 kg means I have to lift 302 kg,” said Eko.
Even though he has appeared in four Olympic events, Eko said he was still curious regarding winning an Olympic gold medal and was determined to present the medal to Indonesia at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Yes, I’m definitely curious, even the bronze ones want silver, let alone the silver ones, they definitely want more. Hopefully it will work,” concluded Eko. (Ant/Z-1)
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