Akin Ayomide
Team Nigeria has increased its gold medal tally at the ongoing 6th Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh after winning two gold medals in wrestling and the women’s 4x100m relay on Wednesday night.
This was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by Kola Daniel, Special Adviser to the Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olapade.
In the 53kg freestyle wrestling final, Christiana Ogunsanya defeated her Uzbekistani opponent, Shokhida Akhmedova, 11-1 in convincing fashion to claim the gold medal.
Nigeria’s exciting young quartet of Bada Toyin, Ezechukwu Miracle, Omokwe Maria, and Nweke Cynthia later crowned the night with an excellent display to win gold in the women’s 4x100m relay in a time of 44.27 seconds.
They pushed Bahrain to the silver medal position with 44.47 seconds, while Gambia finished third in 45.05 seconds.
Nigeria also won an additional two silver medals and three bronze medals.
In the men’s javelin throw, Kure Adams won bronze, while in the men’s 400m, Badmus Atanda also claimed a bronze medal.
In the women’s 400m, Patience George finished second behind her Bahraini opponent, while in the men’s 4x100m, the team of John Caleb, Chidera Ezeakor, Ezekiel Asuquo, and James Emmanuel finished third.
In wrestling, Miesinnei Genesis lost her gold medal match in the women’s 50kg freestyle final to Aktenge Keunimjaeva of Uzbekistan, 5-1, settling for silver.
Olopade praised the performance of the athletes and encouraged them to remain focused and disciplined ahead of other major international competitions.
“I am truly proud of both of you, and I want you to know that President Bola Tinubu will continue to expose Nigerian athletes to the best international competitions, both home and abroad, for podium success.
“Your performance here means a lot to us, and the NSC, under the chairmanship of Shehu Dikko, is determined to ensure Nigeria continues to enjoy the feel-good factor of sports,” he said.
Team Nigeria has now won a total of eight gold, 10 silver, and seven bronze medals, with more expected in para-athletics and para-powerlifting.