Indonesia to send 8 athletes to weightlifting c'ship

Indonesian bodybuilding and weightlifting associations will send eight athletes to the 2019 Asian weightlifting championships in China later this month, deputy chairman of the association Joko Purnomo said here on Friday.

The 2019 Asian weightlifting championships are scheduled to be held in China's eastern coastal city of Ningbo from April 17 to 29, according to the association, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Indonesian contingent in the most prestigious event of Asia's weightlifting calendar is comprised of seven male lifters and one female athlete, Purnomo said.

The association on Friday held a test for the athletes ahead of their participation, he said.

"We see that the junior athletes have satisfying lifting records, all are good," Purnomo said.

Coach of Indonesian weightlifting Dirja Wihardja said that he encouraged the athletes to show their best performance during the event, which is a gold-tier Olympic qualifying event, and promised athletes bonus points.

"We will maximize our achievements during the event," he said.

As many as 467 participants from 29 nations and regions, including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Iran have registered for the competition.

--IANS

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