Nigeria’s wrestlers to this year’s Africa Games in Rabat, Morocco have ended their participation with seven gold medals, as the women team dominated their sector at El Jadida, winning all but one of six finals on offer to reaffirm her supremacy on the continent, while also adding four silver and one bronze to boot.
Reigning 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)..
Similarly, 2018 African champion Bose Samuel (53kg) settled for silver after losing to Cameroon’s Essombe Joseph 2-4 in the final, with all five gold medalists ensuring they picked thweir top diadems without conceding any point in their respective title-winning 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.
Twenty four hours after the ladies impressively won five gold medals and one silver, the men got five more medals – two gold and three silver – in the Freestyle events on the penultimate day in Rabat, as African champions Amas Daniel (65kg) and John Emmanuel (74kg) won gold, while Soso Tarama (97kg), Ebikwenimo Welson (57kg) and veteran Sinivie Boltic (125kg) settled for silver.
