By Andrew Abah, Abuja
Team Nigeria has rounded off its campaign on the tracks at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games with an excellent performance in the mixed 4x400m relay to clinch gold medal ahead of Bahrain and Turkey.
The quartet of Gafari Badmus, Anita Itohan Enaruna, Ezekiel Asuquo and Patience Okon George outdid themselves with a season’s best (SB) of 3:16:27s to win the gold medal.
The quartet has a mix of both experienced and young as their performance crowned a very successful campaign for Nigeria in athletics at the Games.
Nigeria further won an additional gold medal in restling
with Esther Kolawole beating Ruzanna Mammadova of Azerbaijan in the Women’s 62kg freestyle event.
Her compatriot Damola Ojo however settled for silver when she lost to Aiperi kyzy of Kyrgyzstan in the women’s 76kg freestyle event. Team Nigeria won a total of 29 medals – 10 gold medals, 12 silver and 7 bronze medals.
The Director-General of the National Sports Commission, NSC, Hon. Bukola Olopade, said it is not a fluke that Nigeria has won medals in every sport it has participated in at the 6th Islamic Solidarity Games, which is clearly a departure from what used to be the case in the past.
“Having sat down with our team at the Commission and the Elite and Podium Board that is being chaired by Yusuf Ali, we decided that only podium prospects should be brought to Riyadh for this Games and that decision has paid off
“From boxing, to taekwondo, to weightlifting, wrestling and track and field, we have won medals in all the sports and this will be the approach of the NSC to other major international competitions like the Commonwealth Games”, he said.
