Sports
Against all odds, Nigeria’s Anu Opeyori retains Africa’s badminton crown
Nigeria’s number 1 badminton player, Anuoluwa Opeyori has won his third African title in a space of five years to assert himself as Africa’s undisputable champion.
His latest victory came in South Africa at the weekend as he beat Mauritius Julien Paul 18-21, 21-13, 21-18 to win the gold medal of the Men’s singles of the All Africa Senior Championships.
It was not an easy feat as the Nigerian delegation was psychologically drained even before the championship owing to non-issuance of travel visa to four of the ten-man team.
With his latest win, Opeyori has added to earlier titles won in Port Harcourt, Nigeria in 2019 and Kampala, Uganda in 2022.
He had also won the Men’s Singles title at the African Games in Morocco in 2019 to make it four titles in five years!
His spirit was initially dampened following the inability of four of his teammates to obtain entry visa into South Africa for the competition.
The affected players were: Aliyu Alhaji Shehu, Dorcas Ajoke Adesokan, Sofiyat Arinola Obanishola and Ramatu Yakubu.
That reduced the Nigerian field and narrowed the possibility of the country making a good impact.
It is worthy of note that this is the second time in recent years that a Nigerian contingent to the All Africa Senior Championships will have serious and demoralizing problems regarding their visas. The first was when the Team was traveling to Egypt for the All Africa Senior championships in 2020.
Anuoluwapo Opeyori in the 2022 edition arrived Uganda as the sole participant from Nigeria and went all the way up to clinch the Men’s Singles gold medal, thereby becoming King of African badminton for the second time after his feat in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.
His drive, youth, strength, determination and skill saw him stepping unto the courts with a strong message when he easily routed Mauritius player, Julien Paul in two straight sets during the Mixed Team event part of the 2023 edition of the championships before confirming his intention to leave no prisoners.
He muscled his way into the Individual Championship segment of the edition.
He was loud and clear as the competiion served off. His intention was clear – to clear off all disenting oppositions on his way to the throne.
His form was devastating to all that came his way. He easily dispatched his opponents with ruthless efficiency. They fell like packs of cards blown by the huricane.
Opeyori began the individual event easily outstroking Trinity Chimpumho of Zimbabwe 21-8, 21-9. Next to succumb to his firepower was homeboy, Ruan Snyman who also fell in two straight sets of 21-11 and 21-16 at the Round of 16.
Only Zambia’s Kalombo Mulenga showed a little resistance. But ‘Huricane Opeyori’ blew him away after the Zambian narrowly took the first set at 19-21.
Opeyori with fury of thunder smashed out the Zambian 21-10 in the next set and 21-19 in the third set of the quarter-final duel to win the match.
With the games getting tougher as the championship tie beckoned, Opeyori won the semi-finals against another homeboy, Robert Summers, 21-19 and 21-15 before his title match with the Mauritian.
It’s a new begining, remarked the Badminton Federation of Nigeria president, Francis Orbih who admitted that the sport in Nigeria suffered a setback following an initial internal wrangling that was only resolved last year.
“We are back to reassert our commanding stature in Africa”, he concluded.
Sports
President Tinubu’s Commitment to Sports Development Delivering Results at the Grassroots Level — NSC Chief Olopade
The Director General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Hon. Bukola Olopade, says President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for transformative grassroots sports development is already yielding tangible results, citing the introduction of the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) at the National Sports Festival as a prime example.
Hon. Olopade stated that grassroots sports development is a cornerstone of the Renewed Hope Initiative for Nigeria’s Sports Economy (RHINSE), with the President giving full backing to the Commission’s efforts.
“We understand that the foundation of our sports renaissance is an intentional priority to the grassroots cadre of our sports pyramid, and this is why the IJA project is very dear to the Chairman, Mallam Shehu Dikko, and myself,” he said.
He noted that the inclusion of the Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) as the “38th state” at the National Sports Festival in Ogun State is set to be a game changer, aimed at building a steady pipeline of top talent for major international competitions.
“The Commission has also been able to send about 19 different national teams out for various international competitions thanks to the kind of financial backing and support we are getting from Mr President,” he added.
“Fortunately, many of these teams have returned to the country excelling—boosting the image and bragging rights of our country on the international stage.”
The Director General highlighted impressive breakthroughs in sports where Nigeria previously had little visibility.
“We are now also beginning to excel in sports that Nigeria was never known for before, like the performance of the Nigeria U19 Cricket team at the World Cup in Malaysia where Nigeria finished 5th in the world.”
“And just recently, Nigeria’s young swimmer Abdul Tabur Adama shone at the Africa Junior Swimming Championships in Egypt where he won gold and set two new records in the 50 meters. We also had successes in sports like badminton with Eniola Bolaji at the World Para-Tournament in Spain, wrestling in Morocco, weightlifting in Mauritius, just to mention but a few.”
The two time Ogun State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development concluded by reaffirming that these achievements are only possible due to the humongous support from His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who remains deliberate about the vital role sports plays in delivering the broader Renewed Hope Mandate for the country.
-
Featured6 years agoLampard Names New Chelsea Manager
-
Featured5 years agoFG To Extends Lockdown In FCT, Lagos Ogun states For 7days
-
Featured6 years agoNYSC Dismisses Report Of DG’s Plan To Islamize Benue Orientation Camp
-
Featured5 years agoChildren Custody: Court Adjourns Mike Ezuruonye, Wife’s Case To April 7
-
Featured4 years agoTransfer Saga: How Mikel Obi Refused to compensate me After I Linked Him Worth $4m Deal In Kuwait SC – Okafor
-
Sports3 years ago
TINUBU LAMBAST DELE MOMODU
-
News4 months agoZulu to Super Eagles B team, President Tinubu is happy with you
-
Featured6 years ago
Board urges FG to establish one-stop rehabilitation centres in 6 geopolitical zones
