Adekuoroye Promises Wrestling Gold Medal from Tokyo Olympics

One of Nigeria’s biggest medal hopes at the Tokyo Olympics, Odunayo Adekuoroye has set sight firmly on winning gold medal for Nigeria at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics this summer in Tokyo, Japan.

Adekuoroye who was ranked the world number one freestyle wrestler in the 57kg after winning her sixth consecutive African Championships crown in February last year also won her event at the ongoing 20th National Sports Festival and admitted that her preparations are on course towards making history in Tokyo.

“The Sports Festival is part of my preparations for the Olympics and I will like to thank the Honourable Minister for Sports, Chief Sunday Dare, for ensuring we have the festival despite several postponements occasioned by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Adekuoroye.

She also heaped plaudits on Chief Dare for providing the enabling environment for her and others to have good preparations for the Olympics. “I am going to Tokyo with the sole aim of winning the gold,” she restated after winning her event with relative ease.

Adekuoroye also praised President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Dr Daniel Igali for his immense contributions to the development of wrestling in Nigeria.

“Our President has been a God-sent and his presence and contribution have been very impactful. Wrestling has become a major sport Nigerians are looking at for medals at the Olympics and we shall, by the grace of God make history by winning medals at the Tokyo Olympics.”

Igali won gold for Canada at both the World Championship in Ankara,Turkey in 1999 and at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Since his return to Nigeria, the Bayelsa-born former mats-man has committed resources to lifting the athletes and the sport to world standard such that a few of the athletes wrestlers are now looked as potential medallists at the forthcoming Olympics in Tokyo.

Nigeria has won 25 medals at the Olympics with athletics providing 13 of the medals including two of the three gold medals while Football has provided three medals, a gold, a silver and a bronze.

Six medals were won in boxing, two from Weightlifting and one from Taekwondo to complete the list of sports where Nigeria has made the podium. Wrestling, Adekuoroye is confident will be added to that list come Tokyo 2020 starting this July through August.