Weightlifter Ssekyaya not downcast by his debut

By Norman Katende in London

Group B results

Name                                    Snatch   C & J      Total

1. M. Hasaba (INA)                 138       601         301

2. a. Saad (EGY)                    130      162           292

3. M. Minguel (FSM)                127      158            385

6. C. Ssekyaya (UGA)          105       130            235

Uganda’s teenage weightlifter, Charles Ssekyaya was not downcast by his Olympic Games debut in London when he finished 6th overall in Group B.

Even the crowd seemed impressed by the performance of the young weighlifter who will be turning 18 this November.

 Ssekyaya had put up a good Snatch, which started with 100kg and 105kg, a good lift in the 62kg category.  

But he failed in his 108kg attempt on the third and last try, despite being 10kg lower than his personal best of 115kg.

The Ugandan lifter, who took to the stage with power amidst the cheering of the near-full 8000 Excel hall at Custom House had underdeclared his weight because of a one-month injury.

He blamed the injury on his excitement over his Olympic debut and so the pressure to train hard in order to put up a good performance.

Luckily for Ssekyaya, the crowd cheered him into lifting better in the Clean-and-Jerk, having made a good start at 130kg, the third best.

On his second attempt at 135kg, the referees declared it a Lift. But after a 15-minute meeting, the jury overturned the decision, declaring it a No Lift, which attracted some discontent from the crowd.

They said that one of his hands had exerted pressure to the bar.

“I still do not know why it was cancelled. It affected me but the good thing is that I gave it my best,” said Ssekyaya.

When he came back for the 140kg, he received a standing ovation from the crowd and even after failing to lift, they still cheered him on until he came off the stage.

‘I was psychologically unstable. My best lift is 150kg in the Snatch-and-Jerk but I was mentally disturbed by the cancellation,” he said.

Even the late cancellation of his qualification affected his focus, he added.