Four Nigerian Wrestlers qualify for 2024 Paris Olympics
As the preparations for the 2024 Olympics in Paris intensify, Nigeria will celebrate the qualification of four talented wrestlers to represent the country on the world stage.
Leading the pack is Odunayo Adekuoroye, who secured her spot in Paris following her impressive bronze medal win in the women’s 57kg category at the World Championships in Belgrade last year.
Joining her is Blessing Oborodudu, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic silver medalist, who clinched her place at the Paris Olympics with a convincing 2-0 pinfall victory over Uilau I. TARKONG of Palau in the 68kg category.
Hannah Reuben, the World Military Champion in the 76kg category, secured her Olympic slot by defeating Amy YOUIN of Cote D’Ivoire with a score of 6-0. Reuben’s victory comes after her gold medal win at the African Games in Accra, Ghana.
Esther Kolawole, another promising talent, added her name to the list of Nigerian athletes heading to Paris after defeating Angelina RODRIGUES MIRANDA of Cape Verde with a commanding 10-0 superiority. Kolawole’s triumph adds to her previous successes at the African Games and African Championships.
However, it was a narrow miss for Mercy Genesis, who fell short of qualifying for the Paris Olympics after a hard-fought 5-7 defeat to Nada Medani Ashour Abdalla MOHAMED of Egypt in the 50kg weight class.
While the female wrestlers have secured their Olympic slots, Nigerian male freestyle wrestlers will have their chance to qualify on the final day of this window’s qualifiers, scheduled for Sunday.
The remaining Olympic slots will be determined at the 2024 World Qualification Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey, from May 9 to May 12. This tournament will offer three quota places per weight category to the two highest-ranked wrestlers and the champion of a wrestle-off between two bronze medalists, further shaping the lineup for the highly anticipated Paris Olympics.
