AFRICAN GAMES
*Opeyori, Olofua win gold and silver in Badminton team event
Duro Ikhazuagbe
Team Nigeria effectively began gold medal rush at the ongoing 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana with the country’s female wrestlers winning all six gold medals on offer on Sunday.
After all the six wrestlers; Mercy Genesis (50kg), Christianah Ogunsanya (53kg), Odunayo Adekuoroye (57kg), Kolawole Esther (62kg), Blessing Oborududu (68kg) and Hannah Reuben (76kg), reached the finals of their various categories at the Borteyman Sports Complex in Accra; it was just a matter of when the silverware will start to roll into the bag.
Not even one of them disappointed! They made it a clean sweep, picking the gold medals. One after the other, starting with Mercy Genesis in the 50kg category, the Nigerian female wrestlers who have dominated the continent since Daniel Igali took charge of the wrestling federation as President, made yet another loud statement in Accra.
Commonwealth and multiple African champion Genesis dispatched her Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Nada of Egypt 7-0. Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Oborududu led by exemple as captain of Nigerian Wrestlers to defeat Blandine Nyeh Ngiri of Cameroon 14-4 while multiple world medalist Adekuoroye followed Oborududu’s footsteps by beating Zineb Hassoune of Morocco with pinfal.
Igali, a World Champion with Canada before returning home to reinvent the sport, with good backing of his Bayelsa State government, has again shown that with better funding and programme, Nigeria can become a power house in the combat sport on the mat.
He was full of appreciation to Governor Douye Diri for his support to the wrestling federation.
It will be the turn of Team Nigeria’s men’s wrestlers to take to the mat today to try to emulate their female counterparts by also hauling more gold medals for Nigeria.
The feat of the female wrestlers created a buzz in Team Nigeria camp at the Games with Sports Minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, leading the jubilant delegation. The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) President, Engr Habu Gummel and other Nigerian top sports officials all joined in the celebration.
Interestingly, on this day of massive gold medal haul, it was not wrestling that got the first gold medal for Nigeria.
It was Anuoluwapo Opeyori who defeated his compatriot, Godwin Olofua 23/21, 17/21, 15/21 in the men’s singles to win the first gold medal for Team Nigeria. The two finalists followed up with a silver in the men’s doubles event after losing 6/21, 15/21 to Algeria’s duo of T. Mammeri and V. Mammeri.
In addition to the bronze medal won by Victor Ikechukwu in the Men’s Singles, Dorcas Adesokan in Women’s Singles also combined with Sofiat Obanishola to win another bronze in the Women’s Doubles.
