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Tag: Team Nigeria

  • Weightlifting: Team Nigeria win first gold medal in Commonwealth qualifiers

    Weightlifting: Team Nigeria win first gold medal in Commonwealth qualifiers

    The Nigeria Weightlifting team have won first gold medal in the ongoing International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships and Commonwealth Games qualifiers in Uzbekistan.

    Christopher Nwadei, Technical Director, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation (NWF) told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the team would win more medals to make the country proud and fulfill their promise to the President of the Federation, Abdul Ibrahim.

    “I am delighted to inform you that Stella Kingsley won Commonwealth Championships Gold medal on Wednesday.

    “She currently placed 5th position at the IWF World Championships in the 49 kg Category with a successful lift of Snatch 72 kg, C/Jerk 96 kg and Total of 168 kg.

    “This is just the beginning of the victory, because everyone of them is determined to return home with medals.

    “I thank the President of the Federation and the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development for their support and prayers,” he said.

    Nwadei said the twin championship “is a qualification event for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games next year in Birmingham, England and also the IWF World Championship.”

    NAN reports that a total of seven lifters are representing the country in the double Championship.

    They are: Stella Peter Kingsley, 49 kg; Adenike Olarinoye, 55 kg; Rafiatu Folashade Lawal, 59 kg; Ogbonne Eze-Joy, 71 kg.

    Other lifters are: Taiwo Liadi, 76 kg; Emmanuel Appah, 61 kg, and Joseph Edidiong, 67 kg.

    The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Championships and Commonwealth Senior Championships, which started on Dec. 7 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, is expected to end on Dec. 17..

  • Cricket W/Cup qualifiers: Nigeria loses to Namibia by 59 runs

    Cricket W/Cup qualifiers: Nigeria loses to Namibia by 59 runs

    Team Nigeria on Friday lost her second game to Namibia by 59 runs at the ongoing International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers in Botswana.

    The game at the Botswana Cricket Association (BCA) oval in Gaborone saw Namibia winning the toss and electing to bat.

    Namibia’s Adri van der Merwe’s 18 runs in 12 balls, including three boundary hits, as well as teammate Yasmeen Khan’s 29 runs in 33 balls was instrumental to the team’s victory.

    Aside the duo, Kayleen Green’s 29 runs in 21 balls also contributed to the team’s total score of 125 runs for the loss of seven wickets in 20 overs.

    The second innings saw the opening partnership of Esther Sandy and Kehinde Abdul-Quadri secure Nigeria 21 runs in the first four overs.

    The fall of Sandy and Abdul-Quadri in the fifth over, saw Nigeria struggle against the 23rd ranked side.

    The team was, however, limited to 66 runs for the loss of seven wickets, also in 20 overs.

    At the end of the game, Coach Onome Oghenekevwe said the team showed too much respect to their opponents.

    “It was tough, we played against a very sound opponent though we believe we could have done better than what we did. The girls showed too much respect to the Namibian side.

    “At a point in time, the game slipped out of our hands, but we came back stronger, tried to contain them and limited them to 125 runs in the first innings.

    “We had a very good start in the second innings. We were on 20 runs in the first four overs and was hoping to capitalise on that.

    “ But the moment we lost two wickets, the whole thing started crumbling and we couldn’t survive the onslaught from the Namibians,’’ he said.

    Team Nigeria will clash with Uganda on Saturday, before meeting Cameroon on Sept. 13, all in group B.

    Meanwhile, Group A comprises hosts, Botswana, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

    Only one team is expected to qualify from the 11-nation tournament ending on Sept. 19.

  • Cricket World Cup: Team Nigeria arrives Botswana for women’s qualifiers

    Cricket World Cup: Team Nigeria arrives Botswana for women’s qualifiers

    Team Nigeria has arrived Gaborone, the Botswana capital, ahead of the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

    The 25-strong contingent left Nigeria on Monday and arrived Gaborone on Tuesday at about 1:20 pm Nigerian time, but had to undergo the mandatory COVID 19 tests, as well as other necessary protocols, before settling at the Avina Hotel, Gaborone.

    Leader of the delegation, Mariam Sulieman said the team had a great experience enroute Botswana, adding that the girls were ready to do battle.

    “Our journey has been free of hitches, even though we had to be connecting our flights at different points. We left Lagos and had to stop over in Ethiopia before getting here.

    “In all it has been a fantastic experience and the spirit in camp is very high. The girls are in top form and we expect to go home victorious this time around,” Sulieman said.

    Sulieman, an immediate past board member of the Cricket federation, lauded Uyi Akpata, the chairman Edo state Cricket Association for his passion and support to the success of the team.

    “A lot of people have put in their sweat to ensure that these girls get to this point, especially the efforts of Akpata, who is also the immediate past vice president of the NCF.

    ” They camped for over a month in Edo where they were properly taken care of and the excitement in the girls is very obvious.

    “This is the third time we are participating in these qualifiers and with the level of preparation I saw, I am sure that the girls will make the country proud,” she added.

    According to reports, the only two slots are up for grabs in the 11-nation tournament which begins on Thursday, Sept. 9.

  • Photo: Team Nigeria ends Tokyo Paralympics with 10 medals

    Photo: Team Nigeria ends Tokyo Paralympics with 10 medals

    Team Nigeria ended its Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games campaign on Saturday at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, raking in one more gold and a bronze medal.

    The team finished with four gold, one silver, and five bronze medals.

    Making eight appearances at the games, Nigeria went to the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics with 22 athletes and won a total of 10 medals.

    Lauritta Onye started the closing day of Nigeria’s contest by winning bronze in the women F40 shot put event and Flora Ugunnwa brought icing on the cake with gold in the F54 javelin event.

    Flora Ugunnwa threw 18.39 metres to claim a gold medal in the women’s f-54 javelin event and retain the title she won at the Rio De Janeiro 2016 games.

  • Iyiazi wins shot put bronze to increase Team Nigeria’s Paralympics medals haul

    Iyiazi wins shot put bronze to increase Team Nigeria’s Paralympics medals haul

    Eucharia Iyiazi on Thursday increased Team Nigeria’s medals haul at the ongoing 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo by winning a bronze medal in the women’s seated shot put event.

    In the final of the event’s F57 class at the Olympic Stadium, Iyiazi had a season best throw of 10.40 metres to finish third and claim the bronze medal.

    Algeria’s Safia Djelal, who is the world and Paralympic record-holder in the F56 class of the event, created a new world record in the F57 with 11.29m to win the gold medal.

    China’s Xu Milan heaved 10.81m to finish second and win the silver medal.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Iyiazi’s victory took Nigeria’s medals tally at the Games to three gold, one silver and four bronze medals.

    The 2020 Paralympics will end on Sunday.

  • 4 Team Nigeria members crash out of para-table tennis

    4 Team Nigeria members crash out of para-table tennis

    Team Nigeria’s losses in the para-table tennis competition of the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo seem not to be abating as the four players who were in action on Friday all lost their games.

    The quartet of Ahmed Koleosho, Tajudeen Agunbiade, Alabi Olufemi and Faith Obazuaye ended up on the losing side, thereby failing to progress for podium finish.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Koleosho began the chain of losses when he fell 1-3 to China’s Zhao Ping on table 8 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.

    The 35-year-old, who had qualified from his men’s singles Class 3 Group D after one loss and one win, won the first set of his round of 16 match 13-11.

    He however went on to lose 9-11 10-12 8-11, thus finishing as number 9 ranked in Class 3.

    On his part, Olufemi moved to table 4 at the same venue to lose 3-0 (7-11 9-11 5-11) to Filip Radovic of Montenegro in a men’s singles Class 10 Group C match.

    It was the 48-year-old’s third loss from three group games and he has thus failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.

    On the same table where Olufemi lost, Faith Obazuaye went on a few hours later to also lose 0-3 in a women’s singles Class 10 Group C game.

    She lost to Yang Qian of Australia 9-11 1-11 3-11, and with the result being her third loss from three games, she also crashed out of the competition.

    On his part, Agunbiade lost 0-3 (11-13 11-13 5-11) to Laurens Devos of Belgium in a quarter-final match in the men’s singles Class 9.

    Victor Farinloye and Isau Ogunkunle had dropped out of the competition from the group stage earlier, after two losses each.

    It now means all six — five male one female — Team Nigeria para-table tennis players are out of running for a singles medal in the competition.

    NAN reports that the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics which started on Tuesday will end on Sept. 5.

  • Nigeria win 4x400m mixed relay gold at World Athletics Under-20 Championships

    Nigeria win 4x400m mixed relay gold at World Athletics Under-20 Championships

    Team Nigeria on Wednesday in Nairobi won the gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres mixed relay event at the ongoing World Athletics Under-20 Championships.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the quartet of Johnson Nnamani, Imaobong Uko, Deborah Oke and Bamidele Ajayi won the event’s final race at the Kasarani Stadium.

    The team won in a time of three minutes 19.70 seconds to set a new African record, a few hours after winning the opening round’s heat 2 in 3:21.66 seconds.

    The trio of Nnamani, Oke, Ajayi and Ella Onojuvwevwo had earlier in the day got the best qualifying time in the event’s two first round (semi-final) heats for a continental record.

    The team, now without Onojuvwevwo and with Uko, then went on in the final to improve on Nigeria’s performance to win in grand style.

    NAN reports that Poland which had earlier recorded a season best at 3:24.69 won the event’s silver medal with an improved 3:19.80, which is another season best.

    India also improved from a continental record of 3:23.36 to pick the bronze medal with a time of 3:20.60.

  • Tokyo Olympics: Oborududu, Brume lead Team Nigeria back to rousing Abuja welcome

    Tokyo Olympics: Oborududu, Brume lead Team Nigeria back to rousing Abuja welcome

    Team Nigeria to the Tokyo Olympics arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on Saturday after more than two weeks participation at the global sporting spectacle.

    The contingent including Silver winning wrestler Blessing Oborududu and Long Jump Bronze medalist Ese Brum touched down in the afternoon, a day before the official closing ceremony.

    Brume won Nigeria’s first medal at the fiesta with a leap of 6.97 metres to claim bronze behind second-placed Britttany Reece of U.S. and gold medalist Maliaka Mihambo of Germany.

    Oborududu on the other hand got Nigeria’s second medal with a silver in the 68kg free style women wrestling.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Team Nigeria was placed 74 on the medals table as at Saturday.

    Team Nigeria was led back to the country by Minister of Youth and Sports Development Sunday Dare and other officials, with the minister commending the efforts and resilience of the athletes.

    The medalists, draped in their green white green and with their laurels hanging around their necks, were the cynosure of all eyes who had trooped to the airport to catch a glimpse of their stars.

    “This medal is dedicated to all Nigerians that believe and supported me,” a delighted Oborududu said at a brief ceremony at the airport.

    Brume also thanked her coach, officials and all Nigerians for the support before and during the games.

    She said her podium finish at Tokyo was due to hard work and support from Nigerians.

    NAN reports that the games which started on July 23 will draw to a close on Sunday with the closing ceremony at the Olympics Stadium in Tokyo.

  • Tokyo 2020: Team Nigeria drop four places on medals table

    Tokyo 2020: Team Nigeria drop four places on medals table

    Team Nigeria have dropped four places on the medals table as the Tokyo Olympics enter its 12th day.

    The West African country fell from 64th to 68th position.

    No Nigerian athlete qualified for finals in Wednesday’s events. In the events that had their finals today, no Nigerian qualified.

    Odunayo Adekuoroye lost her wrestling bout in the 57kg weight category. She was defeated by Anastasia Nichita of Moldova.

    Adekuoroye was leading 8-2 before Nichita won through a pin in the round of 16.

    Another wrestler, Ekerekeme Agiomor, also failed to progress to the semis.

    Ayomide Bello finished third in the Heat 3 of the Women’s Canoe Single 200m, but missed out on an automatic semi-finals spot.

    Nigeria currently have two medals – silver and bronze.

    While Ese Brume won the bronze for Nigeria, Blessing Obodururu secured the silver medal.

    China retain their lead on the medals table with 32 gold, followed by the United States, 25; Japan, 21; and Great Britain 15.

  • Tokyo 2020: Team Nigeria occupy 64th position on medals table

    Tokyo 2020: Team Nigeria occupy 64th position on medals table

    Team Nigeria are now 64th on the medals table, as the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan enters Day 11.

    Ese Brume won the country’s first medal, clinching bronze in the long jump.

    The 25-year-old recorded a jump of 6.97m in the final.

    Brume finished behind America’s Brittney Reese and Malaika Mihambo of Germany.

    Blessing Obodururu then gave Nigeria a silver medal in the women’s freestyle 68kg event on Tuesday.

    She lost 1-4 in the final to Tamyra Mensah-Stock of the U.S, who had defeated her three times earlier.

    The Federal Government had already announced a reward of $15,000, $10,000 and $7,500 for gold, silver, and bronze medalists respectively at the Tokyo Olympics.

    China lead the medals table with 32 gold, followed by United States, 24; Japan, 19; and Australia 14.