Delta and Oyo dominate in Taekwondo at National Sports Festival

The Taekwondo competition at the 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State ended on a high note at the Illisan Hall, with Delta and Oyo States leading the medal table.

Both states impressed fans with their strong performances, each winning 11 medals. However, Delta State came out on top thanks to winning more gold medals — five gold, two silver, and four bronze. Their results also helped them climb to first place on the overall festival medals table.

Oyo State, known as the Pace Setter state, also had a great outing. They picked up three gold, four silver, and four bronze medals to finish in second place. Their many silver medals showed how close they were to winning more golds.

Osun State finished third with three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals. Though they had fewer medals, their fighters were praised for their skills and smart tactics.

Host state Ogun came fourth with 10 medals — two gold, five silver, and three bronze. Even though they didn’t win many golds, their high silver count showed they gave tough fights and kept the home fans cheering.

Bayelsa State also won 10 medals — two gold, two silver, and six bronze, which was the highest number of bronze medals by any state. Their fighters were consistent throughout the event, staying in the race until Delta overtook them on the overall medals table.

Rivers State came sixth with two gold medals. They didn’t win any silver or bronze but still placed ahead of some states that had more total medals.

Edo State followed with one gold, three silver, and five bronze medals — making a solid total of nine.

Lagos State finished eighth with one gold, one silver, and six bronze medals. Though they didn’t win many golds, their performance showed they were close to reaching the top in many matches.

Nasarawa and Abia won a gold medal each, while Kano, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, and the FCT also earned silver and bronze medals but no golds. Their efforts showed the sport is growing in different parts of the country.

At the bottom of the table, Imo, Kaduna, and Kebbi States each won one bronze medal. While their medal counts were low, their presence showed the increasing spread of taekwondo across Nigeria.