By Kehinde Okeowo
Nigeria has finally been guaranteed a place on the podium in Tokyo Olympic 2020 after several missed chances which condemned the country as one of the countries yet to win a medal at the games.
Blessing Oborududu, a 32-year-old female freestyle wrestler in the 68kg category won her semi-final fight against Battsetseg Soronzonbold of Mongolia 7-2 to advance to the final of the competition.
The Nigerian who has won gold medals at every African Wrestling Championship for 11 years except in 2012 when she did not participate due to her engagement at the Olympics that year, has added Nigeria to the medal table with this feat.
She has also won several medals at other competitions, notably of which is a gold medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games when she defeated Canada’s Danielle Lappage in the 68kg women’s freestyle wrestling event, but she has yet to win an Olympic medal.
The talented Nigerian wrestler on her way to the quarter-finals defeated Azerbaijan’s Elis Manolova in the rounds of 8, and also qualified for the sem-finals after defeating Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan at the quarter-final.
She is therefore guaranteed a silver medal at this stage of the competition, making her the first Nigerian to win a medal for the country at the Toyko Olympics games