Sports
Olympics Qualifier: Nigeria Contingent Returns Today After Amassing 12 Medals In AWC
A delegation of five Nigerian Weightlifters and two coaches will return to the country on Thursday morning (today) after they amassed a total 12 medals at the 2023 Senior Africa Weightlifting Championship in Tunisia which also serves as 2024 Olympic Games qualifiers.
The delegate which is led by the President, Nigeria Weightlifting Federation, NWF Dr Ibrahim Abdul will return to the country via Lagos in the early hours of Thursday.
The contingent will arrive the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja, Lagos by 6:50am via Qatar Airways.
Nigeria won a total of 12 medals comprising 3 gold, 7 silver and 2 bronze medals at the championship.
Lawal Rufiatu Folashade and Olarinoye Adenike Adijat won three gold and three silver medals respectively in the 59kg women category on Tuesday.
Joy Eze Ogbonne and Edidiong Umofia won 6 additional medals on Wednesday. Whereas Joy clinched 3 silver medals in 71kg women category, Edidiong won a silver and 2 bronze medals in 73kg men.
Edidiong could have won higher medals but he had an injury during the Snatch and won a silver medal. He managed to continue and got bronze for Clean &Jerk and Total.
Nigeria’s quest to increase their medal haul on Wednesday did not go as planned after Akano Desmond came 4th in the 89kg men category.
Desmond who rounded off Nigeria’s participation at the championship had a lift of 145kilos in snatch, 190kilos in Clean & Jerk and a Total lift of 255kilos to emerge 4th in the category.
Nigeria weightlifters will participate in six Championship qualifiers as they seek to return Nigeria to global weightlifting map in the 2024 Olympics Games in Paris, France.
The 2023 Africa Weightlifting Championship which commenced on May 10 will end on Friday May 19th in Tuns, Tunisia capital.
Sports
Flamingos’ Historic World Cup Feat Draws Musawa’s Commendation
Joel Ajayi
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musa Musawa, has congratulated Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, following their historic triumph at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The Flamingos defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat to claim Nigeria’s first title in the competition and make history as the first African nation to win the tournament.
Awawu Bashiru gave Nigeria the lead in the 39th minute before Oluebube Umejiaku extended the advantage two minutes after the restart. Japan’s Fuki Ito reduced the deficit in the 80th minute, but the Nigerian girls held on to secure a memorable victory.
In a congratulatory message was signed by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Minister, Nneka Ikem Anibeze on Sunday in Abuja, Musawa described the achievement as a defining moment for Nigeria and a significant milestone for African women’s football, attributing the success to the team’s resilience, talent and determination.
“This is more than a trophy. It is a story of young Nigerian girls who refused to give up, who rose after defeat, and who carried the hopes of a continent to the top of the world,” she said.
The Minister noted that the Flamingos had broken new ground by becoming the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. Nigeria also became the first African country to win both the men’s and women’s U-17 World Cup titles.
The team further achieved another remarkable feat by becoming the first side in the competition’s history to lose its opening match and eventually emerge champions.
Despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening group-stage encounter, the Flamingos recovered impressively, recording six consecutive victories to lift the trophy.
Musawa particularly praised Umejiaku, who claimed the tournament’s Golden Ball award as the best player, and Bashiru for their crucial contributions in the final.
She also commended the entire squad for their discipline, teamwork and determination throughout the competition.
According to her, the victory demonstrates the creativity, courage and excellence of Nigerian youths on the global stage.
The Minister reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to celebrating and promoting the achievements and inspiring stories of young Nigerians who continue to bring honour to the country.
“Our girls have shown the world what Nigeria is made of. We celebrate you today, and we will continue to stand with you,” she added.
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