Taekwondo: Kebbi snatches two Gold on Day 1 as NSCDC trails by 1 gold at Kebbi Open

Kebbi snatches two Gold on Day 1 as NSCDC trails by 1 gold at Kebbi Open

By Admin

Perennial winners, NSCDC, find themselves losing on the medal table by one gold medal to hosts Kebbi, after Kebbi picked up two gold medals in the poomsae male team and individual events, leaving NSCDC with a solitary gold medal won by commonwealth gold medalists, Josephine Esuku, in the poomsae female individual event.

In the poomsae male team event, Kebbi’s trio of Abdulhafeez Salahudeen, Harun Usman and Abodunrin Oluwasesan were too good after scoring a total of 41.6 points to win the gold medal. Nigeria Army trio of Alexander Daniel, Walton Ditu and Adakole Akpah who scored 36.8 points to pick up the silver, while the bronze went to Nigeria Navy’s trio of Henry Edet Okon, Afamefune Innocent Enumah and Umar Saidu Isa who scored 35.3 points.

In the poomsae female individual event, Commonwealth gold medalist Josephine Esuku scored a high average of 42.5 points from the five judges to emerge winner, and relegate the duo of Kebbi’s Adeyanju Khadijat and Oloyede Adeola who won silver and bronze respectively with average scores of 37.3 and 37.2 points respectively.

In the poomsae male event, the elimination system was used to determine the eventual medalists.

In the preliminary round, Kebbi’s Abdulhafeez Salaudeen defeated Team CCSF’s Peter Itiku by 38.8 points to 38 points to go to the quarter-final stage.

In the quarterfinals, Umar Saidu of Nigeria Navy scored 33.9 points to defeat Charles Okon of Kebbi who scored 33.6 points. NSCDC’s Victor Onokeghabe scored 35.1 points to defeat Henry Edet Okon of Nigeria Navy who scored 31.6 points. Kebbi’s Abdulhafeez Salaudeen scored 20.7 points to defeat Afamefune Innocent Enumah of Nigeria Navy who scored 19.5 points. Kebbi State’s Abodunren Sesan scored 40.7 points to defeat fellow teammate Harun Usman who scored an equally high score of 40.2.

In the semi-finals, NSCDC’S Victor Onokeghabe scored 36.2 to beat Umar Saidu Isa of Nigeria Navy who scored 33.3, while Kebbi’s Abodunrun Sesan beat teammate Abdulhafeez Salaudeen by 41.5 points to 37.8 points.

For the bronze medal match, Kebbi’s Abdulhafeez Salawudeen scored 18.9 to defeat Umar Saidu Isa of Nigeria Navy who scored 15.1 points.

In the finals, Kebbi’s Abodunrin Oluwasesan scored 20.7 points to clinch the gold medal and allow NSCDC’s Victor Onokeghabe to settle for the silver medal with a point score of 18.7.

Gold medalist in the poomsae male and female individual events will walk away with N20,000 naira each; silver medalists will go home with N10,000 naira each with the bronze medalist will settle for N5,000 naira each.

For the team event, the gold, silver and bronze medals attracts N40,000, N25,000 and N15,000 prize monies respectively.

The kyeorugi event will commence later today at 17:00 hrs due to the extremely hot weather in Kebbi. Participants are expected to rest all day in their provided accommodations and arrive the competition venue at 16.30 hrs to commence preparations for the event.

There will be an opening ceremony and medal presentation for poomae medalists before the commencement of the kyeorugi event later today.