Okinyi stars as Kenya rule African Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships

Ian Okinyi displays his medals during the Africa Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championship at Ruaraka Sports Club, Nairobi. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Kenya has struck nine gold and 11 silver medals at the ongoing African Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships at Ruaraka Sports Club, Nairobi.

The medals came from the men’s 55kg contestant Ian Okinyi (3 golds, 3 silvers), men’s 49 kg lifter Acehood Waiyaki (three gold, two silver), men’s 61kg fetcher Joshua Amunga (three gold) and the dazzling women’s 49kg queen Lina Omondi (six silver).

The showpiece has attracted nine countries including Egypt, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa, Seychelles, Tunisia and Uganda.

Peerless Okinyi brought the roof down at Ruaraka with his majestic lifts that left local fans heaping endless praises on him.

He grabbed 80kgs in Snatch and fetched 95kgs in Clean and Jerk to triumph with 175kgs total in the youth category.

However, the promising Kenyan ace narrowly missed the top of the podium in the junior category where he wrestled Joseph Rakotomandimby of Madagascar who carried the day, leaving Okinyi for silver.

“This is my first time to win an international medal and it feels great. This massive victory has given me hope, I’m now confident that I can qualify for the Summer Youth Olympics Games in Dakar in 2026, because this is my target,” Okinyi told Standard Sports.

The C.G. H. U Mixed Secondary School student in Nairobi gave credit to his coach and mentor Winny Langat for the final push that saw him deliver the coveted medals with ease.

“A head of these championships, we were training almost every day after school, at the Steel City Gym in Pangani. Besides the exercises, Langat instilled in me the confidence needed to be a winner. She strengthened my mental faculty in a way that has never happened before. I will forever be indebted to her for the support,” he noted.

Okinyi admires double Olympic and triple world champion Shi Zhiyong of China as his role model in the sport.

“When I grow up, I want to be like him in weightlifting, I want to bring Kenya quality medals like Zhiyong,” he reiterated.

Okinyi’s advice to those who are eager to embrace the game is to start small and build on the weights you are taking gradually until you reach your peak.

Langat, a former Kenyan international who is also in charge of the national women’s weightlifting team, admitted that she is very proud of her student Okinyi who she started with when the player was nine years old.

“It has been a very long journey, at first we were not sure of medals in these championships but his determination gave me hope. I’m very proud today that Okinyi was able to give a good account of himself in his first high profile international attempt,” underlined Langat.

“Indeed, our target now is the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympics and from the performance recorded here we are assured to punch that ticket.

“We are going to work on squats for strength and furnish our clean and jerk lifts before we embark on the Dakar qualifiers,” Langat hinted.

In other results; Waiyaki raised 50kg and 55kg in snatch and clean and jerk for a total of 101kg to clinch the golds in men’s 49kg youth.

Amunga jacked up 98kg and 120kg respectively for 218kg total to emerge champion in men’s 61kg junior as Omondi weighed 45kg,46kg,87kg and 45kg, 46kg, 87kg to win the silvers in both women’s 49kg categories.

The ongoing African youth showpiece has attracted nine countries including Egypt, Libya, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa, Seychelles, Tunisia and Uganda.

So far, the Kenya medals;

1.Men’s 55kg: Ian Okinyi (3 golds, 3 silvers)

2.Men’s 49kg: Acehood Waiyaki (3 golds, 2 silvers)

3.Men’s 61kg: Joshua Amunga (3 golds)

4.Women’s 49kg: Lina Omondi (6 silvers).