AFRICAN GAMES
*Opeyori, Olofua win gold and silver in Badminton crew occasion
Duro Ikhazuagbe
Workforce Nigeria successfully started gold medal rush on the ongoing thirteenth African Video games in Accra, Ghana with the nation’s feminine wrestlers successful all six gold medals on supply on Sunday.
After all of 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 varied classes on the Borteyman Sports activities Advanced in Accra; it was only a matter of when the silverware will begin to roll into the bag.
Not even one in all them disillusioned! They made it a clear sweep, choosing the gold medals. One after the opposite, beginning with Mercy Genesis within the 50kg class, the Nigerian feminine wrestlers who’ve dominated the continent since Daniel Igali took cost of the wrestling federation as President, made one more loud assertion in Accra.
Commonwealth and a number of 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 whereas a number of world medalist Adekuoroye adopted Oborududu’s footsteps by beating Zineb Hassoune of Morocco with pinfal.
Igali, a World Champion with Canada earlier than returning dwelling to reinvent the game, with good backing of his Bayelsa State authorities, has once more proven that with higher funding and programme, Nigeria can grow to be an influence home within the fight sport on the mat.
He was filled with appreciation to Governor Douye Diri for his help to the wrestling federation.
It will likely be the flip of Workforce Nigeria’s males’s wrestlers to take to the mat at the moment to attempt to emulate their feminine counterparts by additionally hauling extra gold medals for Nigeria.
The feat of the feminine wrestlers created a buzz in Workforce Nigeria camp on the Video games with Sports activities Minister, Senator John Owan Enoh, main the jubilant delegation. The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) President, Engr Habu Gummel and different Nigerian prime sports activities officers all joined within the celebration.
Apparently, on this present day of huge gold medal haul, it was not wrestling that bought the primary gold medal for Nigeria.
It was Anuoluwapo Opeyori who defeated his compatriot, Godwin Olofua 23/21, 17/21, 15/21 within the males’s singles to win the primary gold medal for Workforce Nigeria. The 2 finalists adopted up with a silver within the males’s doubles occasion after shedding 6/21, 15/21 to Algeria’s duo of T. Mammeri and V. Mammeri.
Along with the bronze medal received by Victor Ikechukwu within the Males’s Singles, Dorcas Adesokan in Girls’s Singles additionally mixed with Sofiat Obanishola to win one other bronze within the Girls’s Doubles.
