AFRICAN GAMES: Nigeria Dominate Women Wrestling, Wins Five Gold from Possible Six

AFRICAN GAMES: Nigeria Dominate Women Wrestling, Wins Five Gold from Possible Six

By EMEKA Dennar

Team Nigeria, on Thursday, dominated women wrestling at the 2019 African Games, at El Jadida, Morocco, winning all but one of the six gold medals on offer to reaffirm her supremacy in the sport on the continent.

Reigning African Games gold medalists Blessing Oborududu (68kg), Odunayo Adekuoroye (57kg), Mercy Genesis (50kg) and Aminat Adeniyi (62kg) were all impressive as they retained their titles, as well as African Champion Blessing Onyebuchi (76kg), while 2018 African champion Bose Samuel (53kg) settled for silver after losing to Cameroon’s Essombe Joseph 2-4 in the final.

The five gold-medalists did not concede a point in their respective final bouts.

Genesis, a multiple African champion, outclassed Tunisia’s Sara Hamdi 10-0 via technical superiority to clinch gold, while World No. 3 Adekuoroye also made light work of Egpypt’s Emmam Ibrahim, dismantling the North African 10-0 by superiority to retain her crown.

Two-time Commonwealth champion Adeniyi also overcame her opponent Berthe Ngolle of Cameroon 9-0 in the final to successfully retain her African Games gold.

It was also a stroll in the park for reigning Commonwealth champion Oborududu, who subdued Anta Sambou of Senegal 6-0 via pinfall in the final; haven easily beaten Egypt’s Hamza Samir – a World silver-medalist – 10-0 in the earlier rounds.

African champion Onyebuchi capped a memorable and highly successful day for the female wrestlers, clinching gold as well in the 76kg class, dispatching Ivorian Amy Youin 10-0 to land the coveted prize.

Earlier on Wednesday, Team Nigeria’s Tochukwu Okeke (87kg) claimed bronze in the Greco Roman event.

Action will be wrapped up in wrestling on Friday in the men’s Freestyle events, with the likes of Amas Daniel (65kg), Emmanuel Ogbonna (74kg), Soso Tamarau, Sinivie Boltic, Ebikewenimo Welson (57kg) and Melvin Bibo expected to rack in more medals for the country.

--