By Rasaq Oboirien
It was a five-star showing from Nigeria’s athletes at the 2023 African Games in Accra, the Ghanian capital as Team Nigeria claimed its first gold from badminton event and dominated the wrestling events, to record more gold for the country.
Anuoluwapo Opeyori won Nigeria’s 1st gold medal of the Games on Sunday, defeating his fellow countryman Godwin Olofua in the final of men’s singles Badminton event.
Later in the evening, the trio of Odunayo Adekuoroye, Christiana Ogunsanya and Mercy Genesis displayed class on the mat and knocked out their opponents from Morocco, Ivory Coast and Egypt in the final.
Mercy Genesis, started the gold rush for Nigeria in wrestling, after she showed her Egyptian opponent (Nada Mohamed) no mercy, controlling the fight from start to finish, to win the gold medal in women’s 50kg Freestyle event. Genesis was quite convincing, winning the bout 7-0.
Few minutes later, Christiana Ogunsanya hopped on the gold medal train for Nigeria, winning the women’s Wrestling 53kg. It was a one-sided dominance, as Ogunsanya defeated her Ivorian opponent, Bakayoko by 11-0.
Odunayo Adekuoroye needed only 24 seconds to defeat her Moroccan opponent Zineb Hassoune, securing a victory by Fall (6-0) to win Nigeria’s 3rd GOLD medal from Women’s Wrestling. Adekuoroye won the women’s wrestling 57kg.