Nigeria’s women freestyle wrestler, Odunayo Adekuoroye, clinched one of the available slots at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after claiming third place in the 73kg weight category at this year’s World Championships in Las Vegas, USA.
Adekuoroye, who won gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, recorded a 10-0 Technical Fall (TF) against Belarusian Nadzeya Shushko and then a 4-0 win by Pin over Asian champion Zhong Xuechun of China in the second recharge round at The Orleans Arena on Wednesday.
The win saw the 21-year-old become only the second ever world medalist from Nigeria since Ifeoma Iheanacho, who won bronze medals in the women’s 67kg in 2009 and 2010.
She finished the tournament in fourth position behind world champion Saori Yosshida of Japan, runner-up Sofia Magdalena Mattsson of Sweden, whom she lost to, 4-2 by Fall in the quarter-finals.
The Nigerian’s journey to third place saw her dismiss Natalia Malysheva of Russia 5-2 in the blood round, eliminate Lilya Horishna of Ukraine 14-3 by TF in the round of 16, but then lost by pin to Magdalena Mattsson in the last 8.
All four medalists have thus secured their passage to the Rio 2016 Games where they will represent their respective countries in the 53kg women freestyle wrestling category.
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate