(Photo: Gaspar Nóbrega/COB)
Olympic place in weightlifting! Brazilian Amanda Schott stamped her passport to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the under-71kg category. She was in 11th place in the Olympic ranking – only the top ten qualify directly –, but she benefited because China chose not to call up the representative in this category, which expanded the classification zone.
According to the Olympic weightlifting qualification system, the first ten athletes in each of the ten weight categories (five men’s and five women’s) guarantee a place in Paris-2024. However, there is a limit that the same country can only take three men and three women to the Olympic Games, regardless of how many athletes are in the classification zone.
The Olympic race lasted between August 1, 2022 and April 28, 2024, being closed after the Phuket World Cup. Amanda Schott closed the Olympic ranking in 11th place, with a total of 238kg. She was just 1kg behind Nigerian Joy Eze, who was in tenth place. Initially, the Brazilian would be left without an Olympic place, but this changed with the call up of the Chinese team this Friday (10).
China finished the Olympic race leading all five women’s categories. Thus, the country needed to choose who its representatives would be in Paris. The decision was to take Hou Zhihui (49kg), Luo Shifang (59kg) and Li Wenwen (+81kg). Therefore, Liao Guifang (71kg) was passed over and will not go to Paris. Thus, a new vacancy opened up in the category, which went to Amanda Schott.
One of the great revelations of this Olympic cycle, Amanda is 27 years old and is from Rio de Janeiro. Current Brazilian record holder in the up to 71kg categoryshe earned a bronze in the snatch at the Tashkent World Cup2021, and bronzes at the 2021 and 2024 Pan American Championships. This will be his first Olympic participation, after also participating in the Santiago-2023 Pan American Games.
Amanda & Laura
In addition to Amanda, Brazil will have the participation of Laura Amaro in Paris-2024. A former skeleton athlete, the 23-year-old from Rio secured her unprecedented ranking by placing ninth in the Olympic ranking in the under-81kg category, with 253kg. The weightlifting competitions at the Olympic Games will take place between August 7th and 11th, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles.
22 years old from São Paulo. Journalist graduated from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). I’ve been at Olimpíada Todo Dia since 2022. I covered the World University Games in Chengdu and the Pan-American Games in Santiago-2023.
