Nigerian wrestlers sweep gold at African Games

Team Nigeria achieved a remarkable feat on Sunday at the ongoing 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana, securing a clean sweep of gold medals in the wrestling competition as six female wrestlers clinched victories in their respective categories.

Mercy Genesis set the pace by securing Nigeria’s first wrestling gold medal in the 50kg category, dominating her opponent Mohamed Nada from Egypt with a resounding 7-0 victory.

Following suit, Christiana Ogunsanya secured the second gold for Nigeria in the 53kg women’s wrestling event, defeating Nogona Bakayoko of Cote D’Ivoire by a decisive score of 11-0.

Adekuoroye Odunayo continued the winning streak by claiming victory in the 57kg category, while Kolawole Omolayo emerged victorious in the 62kg event.

Not stopping there, veterans Blessing Oburududu and Rueben Hannah Amuchechi added two more gold medals to Nigeria’s tally in the 68kg and 76kg categories, respectively, underscoring Nigeria’s dominance in wrestling on the continent.

Before the final bouts, the President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali, commended the outstanding performance of the Nigerian wrestlers and expressed confidence in their ability to finish strongly.

“I’ve been very impressed with the way they wrestled, and I think if they continue in that trajectory, Nigeria should be hopeful of many gold medals in the evening,” Igali stated in a press release issued on Sunday.

Igali also extended his gratitude to the Bayelsa State Government for their consistent support of the Wrestling Federation. Additionally, he urged President Bola Tinubu to generously reward athletes who bring honour to the country at the African Games, akin to the recognition bestowed upon the Super Eagles after their second-place finish at the last AFCON tournament.

The 2023 African Games, which kicked off on March 8 and will be concluding on March 23, will witness the participation of more than 5,000 athletes competing in 29 sports disciplines.

Among these, eight sports will serve as qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The cities of Accra and Cape Coast will serve as hosts for the events, with competitions taking place across various sports codes including Arm-Wrestling, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball (3×3), and more. Venues such as the Accra Sports Stadium and the University of Ghana Stadium will be utilized for the competitions.