Team Nigeria Paralympics participation ends on a high
Ten medals claimed in Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
Team Nigeria closed out its participation in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics with a series of medals that took their total haul at the end of the Games to 10 from four events and a contingent of 22 athletes.
Following the conclusion of the Powerlifting events in which Team Nigeria claimed six medals at the Paralympics in Tokyo, the onus fell on the rest of the participants to perform at the level of the Powerlifters and finish on the podium in their events.
The duo of Tajudeen Agunbiade and Olufemi Alabi claimed bronze for Team Nigeria in the men’s table tennis doubles Class 9-10 event at the Paralympics. Despite losing 2-0 to Australia in the semifinal, Team Nigeria was awarded a bronze as there are no third place playoffs at the event in the Paralympics.
Eucharia Iyiazi won Team Nigeria its second medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics outside of the Powerlifting events when she claimed bronze in the women’s F57 Shot put event. Iyiazi hurled her implement to a season-best distance of 10.40m. Algeria’s Safia Djelal (11.29m) claimed the gold medal and China’s Xu Milan (10.81m) claimed the silver medal. The veteran Iyiazi has won a medal at every single Paralympics she has participated in since 2004.
Lauretta Onye was unable to repeat her gold medal-winning heroics of the 2016 Paralympics for Team Nigeria as she had to settle for a bronze medal in the women’s F40 Shot put event. Onye threw her projectile to a distance of 8.29m to fall short of the world record of 8.40 she set in 2016.
Flora Ugwunwa was the last competitor for Team Nigeria at this year’s Games when she took to the field in the women’s F54 Javelin event. She was looking to retain the gold medal she brilliantly won in Rio in 2016. Ugwunwa lived up to her billing as she won gold with a throw of 19.39m.
After the disappointment and embarrassment suffered by Nigeria’s representatives during the 2020 Olympics, the brilliant performance of the Paralympics team was welcome. Team Nigeria won 3 gold medals, 1 silver and 5 bronze medals.
