Toua eyeing history

PAPUA New Guinea female weightlifter Dika Toua is on the verge of making Olympic history for the second time if she qualifies to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in July.
Should the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medalist make the Olympics, the Hanuabada mother will become the first female weightlifter in the world to make five Games appearances.
The PNG Weightlifting Federation said Toua had two more events — Australian Open Championships (between Feb 28 and March 1) and the Oceania Championships (from April 21-26) – to qualify.
“It is overwhelming for me to be the first female weightlifter on the Olympics platform and now going to the Olympics for the fifth time is something I want to do,” she said.
“So I am working towards it and staying positive. I’m really looking forward to it.”
The 35-year-old has been competitive in her last four appearances, finishing 10th in Sydney (2000) in the 48kg division, 6th in Athens (2004), 8th in Beijing (2008) and 12th in London (2011) in the 53kg division.
The first time Toua entered the record books was in Sydney where she became the first female weightlifter to lift at the Olympics when the women’s division was first contested at the Games.
Meanwhile, PNG male weightlifter Morea Baru is on the same quest as Toua as he eyes the 61kg division in Tokyo. If he qualifies, it will be his second Olympics after his first in Rio in 2016.
Both lifters are training at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute in New Caledonia.