Category: Sports

Odunayo Adekuoroye, has won a silver medal at the 2017 World Wrestling Championships in Paris, France, making it the first time Nigeria is on the medals table.

Odunayo Adekuoroye is now the first woman from Nigeria to march into the gold medal final at Senior World Wrestling Championships.

She narrowly lost to Haruna Okuno of Japan 4-5 in the final of the 55 kg women’s freestyle.

The Nigerian wrestler started her campaign in the Championship by defeating Mathilde Helene 13-9 in the qualification round to move to the Round of 16.

She then proved to be too much for Lenka Martinakova as she defeated the Czech Republic wrestler 10-0.

In her quarter-final match, the three-time African champion out-powered Mongolia’s Davaachimeg Erkhembayar 8-4 before going ahead to defeat U-23 European Champion, Irina Kurachkina of Belarus 10-0 in the semi-final.

The Nigeria Senior Women’s Basketball team, D’Tigress, have been crowned African champions following their 65-48 win over Senegal in the final of the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket Championships.

Trailing by six points from the first quarter, the Nigerians fought back to win the second quarter 21-10 points.

D’Tigress remained sturdy as they extended their lead by winning the third quarter 15-7 points and the fourth quarter 17-13 points.

Point guard, Osaretin Ekhator, emerged top performer for Nigeria with 13 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Following the victory of the Coach Sam Vincent-tutored team, Nigeria also qualified for the FIBA Women’s World Cup in Spain next year.

D’Tigress, last won the biennial championship in 2003.

Margaret Binga has been sworn in as the President, Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF).

Margaret Binga is the second ever Female President of a Sports Federation and the first ever Female President of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation.

The Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung on Wednesday also inaugurated the board of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation with a charge to revive its federation’s grassroots development initiative.

Binga is Nigeria’s only two-time African Taekwondo Champion and a World Taekwondo Federation Class 2 International Referee.

Nationally, she was undefeated for 18 years and won 45 National Gold Medals in that period.

Kwara Falcons has emerged and crowned champions of the 2017 Kwese Premier basketball league; final victory was recorded against Rivers Hoopers in a game that ended 68-57 points.

Hoopers came second at the end of the 6-day championship while Hoops&Read who defeated Customs 85-66 finished 3rd.

Customs were fourth, Oluyole Warriors and Police Baton were fifth and sixth respectively. Only top four teams qualified for the final 8 which is to take place in Kano in September [2017].

Kano Pillars have emerged champions in the Kwese Premier League Savannah Conference Six play-offs by winning all their five matches and ending the championship with 100 percent record.

The tournament, which held inside the Indoor Hall of the Murtala Square, Kaduna, between August 14 and 19 had six teams from the Savannah Conference including Kano Pillars, Gombe Bulls, Plateau Peaks, Niger Potters, Bauchi Net and Kada Stars. Bauchi Net and Kada Stars replaced Mark Mentors and Defenders, both of Abuja, which failed to turn up for the competition.

To emerge champions of the conference, Pillars beat hard fighting Gombe Bulls 104 to 97 points in their first game, defeated Kada Stars 91 to 58 points, stopped Bauchi Net 85 to 44 points, beat Niger Potters 103 to 71 points and routed Plateau Peaks 80 to 64 points to maintain an unbeaten run.

Coach of the Kano-based team, Sani Ahmed, described his team’s performance as in line with his club’s desire to retain the trophy at the Final Eight in Kano. In his words:

“Winning the Savanna Conference Six shows the level of consistency in the club. It also tells of the amount of hard work put in by the players to winning tournaments. The team is not 100 percent perfect yet. We are still a high scoring side averaging 80 points per game, but we are still going to do more so as to defend and win the Final Eight at home in Kano. Our tradition is to win any tournament we find ourselves in. So, we aim to retain the Final Eight. We have noticed some weaknesses and lapses in the course of our games and will work on them before the Final Eight. I noticed the boys sometimes get complacent; but we need to be consistent and more perfect in taking shots.”

The coach also disclosed that the Conference play-offs was part of preparations for his team’s participation in an invitational tournament slated in Malaysia in the first week of September.

 “Immediately after the play-offs and Final Eight we shall be honouring a fully sponsored trip to Malaysia for an invitational tournament involving teams from Japan, China, Malaysia and other Asian countries. Good enough, we will be prepared because this championship serves as good preparations for the tournament,” he said.

Other teams that qualified from the Savannah Conference Six are Niger Potters, Gombe Bulls and Plateau Peaks. The Final Eight in Kano will see four teams each from the Atlantic and Savannah Conferences battle for the ultimate prize to climax the Kwese Premier League Season.

Nigeria Police Team has won a total of 11 medals; five gold, four silver and two bronze medals at the World Police Games in the United States of America [2017].

Nigeria Police Force Director of Sports, DCP Aliyu Abubakar, disclosed that Sergeant Noa Nehikhare who competed in boxing, Corporal Martins Ogierikhi who took part in mens’ 110m hurdles in athletics event, Yeiyah Yellow (swimming) and Goodness Thomas who ran in both women 100m dash and 200m event won gold medals in each of the events to make it two, accounted for the five gold medals.

The Silver medals were won by Inspectors Martins Ogierikhi (men 400m), Abraham Onyemelusi (wrestling) and Oluwatoyin Oladeji who fought in boxing, while, Inspector Ralph Ubah and Sergeant Selubo Ekundayo won the two bronze medals for Team Nigeria.

Chairman of the Nigeria Police Sports, AIG Sanni Mohammed, who was the leader of delegation, said he was overwhelmed by the performance of his group, considering the fact that this is the very first time the Team Nigeria Police would be competing at such a high global championship.

Furthermore, the Inspector-General of Police ( I-G), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, has rewarded five athletes that won gold medals with automatic promotion.

Team Nigeria has won the 16th Union of African Karate Federations Zone 3 Championships in Cotonou by winning seven medals.

Team Nigeria won two gold, two silver, and four bronze at the Championships that took place between 6th and 13th August 2017.

According to Godspower Ede, media aide to the President of the Karate Federation of Nigeria:

“The national karate team made up of six athletes – four boys and two girls, put up a superlative performance to win two gold, two silver and three bronze medals at the championship.”

Ede commended the President of the Karate Federation of Nigeria, Silas Agara, for making sure Nigeria participated in the championships after four years absence.