LIFTER or weightlifter Eko Yuli Irawan has confirmed that he will qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics and will be the fifth appearance for the athlete from Metro, Lampung and set a record for Quintrick. Eko qualified for Paris 2024 following appearing at the International Weightlifting World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, Tuesday (2/4).
Eko successfully completed the snatch lift of 133 kg. However, he did not complete the clean and jerk lift perfectly because his knee injury had not healed 100 percent.
Nevertheless, Eko is in third place in the Olympic Qualification Ranking with a total lift of 300kg. Eko achieved this record when he appeared at the IWF World Weightlifting Championship in Bogota, Colombia 2022.
“Alhamdulillah, I am grateful that God Almighty has given me the opportunity to take part in the Olympics once more for the fifth time,” said Eko Yuli in his statement.
To qualify for the Olympics, Eko also had to beat his compatriot, Ricko Saputra, who was actually also on the long list of lifters who qualified with a total lift of 298kg.
However, the rules at the IWF (International Weightlifting Federation) state that one country can only send one representative who has the highest total force in one competition class.
Also read: Lifter Eko Yuli breaks record at 2023 SEA Games, awarded gold
“Not only Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Thailand also use this World Cup as their national selection to determine the best athletes who can qualify. “So I just played it safe to get through,” said Eko.
“This is the last Olympics for me if you look at the competition now. I want to recover my knee first, I want to try to recover first, there are still 3 months ahead. “Knee recovery can be completed so that later in Paris 2024 we can play more freely and optimally so that the results can be maximized,” he added.
Meanwhile, General Chair of the Indonesian Olympic Committee (NOC Indonesia) Raja Sapta Oktohari welcomed Eko’s qualification for Paris 2024. Moreover, this is a new historical record for Indonesian sports where one athlete appeared in five editions of the Olympics or quintrick.
Also read: Entering the top 10 in the 61 kg class, Eko Yuli Irawan opens up the opportunity to appear at the 2024 Paris Olympics
“Congratulations and extraordinary for the new history for Indonesia through Eko’s quintrick achievement at the Olympics. “His consistency deserves appreciation and is a motivation for other athletes,” said Okto, Raja Sapta Oktohari’s nickname.
Eko Yuli Irawan’s Journey to the Olympics
Eko started his work at the Olympics in 2008 Beijing where he managed to bring home a bronze medal despite suffering a hamstring injury during preparation. In London 2012, Eko also managed to win bronze with a fractured shin.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, this 34 year old lifter experienced knee problems once more but was still able to bring home a silver medal. In his last appearance at 2020 Tokyo, Eko managed to maintain his silver achievement even though the Olympics were held under Covid-19 conditions.
Also read: Eko Yuli admits that his preparations for the World Weightlifting Championship are only 90 percent complete
“Weightlifting has always never disappointed the Indonesian people. It has always been a sport that never fails to send its representatives and always contributes medals to the Olympics. “Our prayers, the Indonesian people, hope that in Paris 2024 we can break eggs for a gold medal,” he said.
Okto further added that it was time for Indonesia to have a recovery center to be able to meet the needs of athletes who are prone to injury, as experienced by Eko so far.
The recovery center is an important element because it can help accelerate athlete recovery based on complete and integrated sports science, which Indonesia currently does not have.
“Recovery is part of training. I have asked the Minister of Youth and Sports directly and he said it would be made in Cibubur. “We need very professional equipment and human resources to be able to prevent and treat athlete injuries,” he concluded.
(Z-9)
#Lifter #Eko #Yuli #Irawan #Qualifies #Paris #Olympics #Prints #Quintrick
