7/24/12

Nigerian Female Flag Bearer Mariam Usman

By Ime Bassey

Nigerian weightlifter, Maryam Usman has said that she became a weightlifter so she would not be intimidated by men.

Speaking to Saturday Vanguard Sports at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Dan Anyiam Stadium in Owerri, Usman said that she has no regrets becoming a weightlifter.

“I decided to become a weightlifters because of the intimidation from boys. I felt I needed to look like that so I can earn some respect from males and let them know that women can be like them too.

Since I started, I have had no regrets at all as I have been able to win laurels for myself and the nation. Also, I can feed comfortable without disturbing anybody and my family is happy,”she said.

On the African qualifiers billed for Nairobi Kenya, she said, “I am going to the qualifiers lift the sole aim of picking a ticket for the Olympics.

The tournament will actually show how much impact the camping had on me because I have never gone through this kind of camping in recent time. The coaches pushed us to the limit to bring out the best in us”.
Source: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/03/i-became-a-weightlifter-because-of-men-usman/
Mariam Usman (born November 9, 1990): Nigerian weightlifter. She competes in the +75 kg category. (Wikipedia)