With her performance at the 2021 Poland Open Ranking Series in Warsaw, where she humbled some of the finest wrestlers in the world, it is clear that Odunayo Adekuoroye is inching closer to becoming the first Nigerian wrestler to mount the podium at an Olympic Games. OLALEKAN OKUSAN reports.
In Africa, it is on record that Odunayo Adekuoroye is the first Nigerian wrestler to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games following her performance at the 2019 Senior World Wrestling Championship in Kazakhstan. And since her qualification, she has been on the rise in the sport, taking down some of the finest wrestlers in the world.
For more than five years, Adekuoroye’s record in Africa is unbroken as she remains unbeaten. She has also extended her reign to the Commonwealth and African games.
What transpired at the 2021 Poland Open Ranking Series in Warsaw has also confirmed that Adekuoroye is primed for a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after edging out some of the medallists of the 2016 edition of the Olympic Games in Rio, Brazil. In Poland, she was drawn against two Olympic medallists, five world medal winners, and six continental champions in Poland. But at the Ursynow Arena in Warsaw on June 11, Adekuoroye recorded a 10-0 win over Russia’s Valeria Koblova Zholobova, the 58kg silver medallist at Rio 2016, and a 13-0 win over the Rio 2016 53kg champion Helen Maroulis of the United States on her way to the final in Poland.
The 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth champion and three-time world medallist earned her concluding victory in the 57kg category when Belarus’ Iryna Kurachkina had to forfeit the match to hand the Nigerian the gold medal.
After her triumph in Poland, the United World Wrestling (UWW), which is the world wrestling governing body, tipped the Nigerian for a gold medal in Tokyo.
In their analysis of her fight against American Maroulis, the UWW said: “Adekuoroye in a dash of explosive power. She scored two four-point throws and two takedowns combined with a point for Maroulis’ passivity to win the bout 13-0. The Nigerian had lost to the American twice before, 6-6 in 2015 and 4-1 in 2018, but on Friday, June 11, the American had no answer to her attacks.
“There were no singing celebrations but those maybe reserved after the final but Adekuoroye announced herself as a serious contender for the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and stirred up the storm,” UWW predicted.
“What made the win special over Maroulis was that she had lost to her in the previous two meetings. Back in 2018, the USA wrestler won 4-1 at Beat the Streets competition and she won a tight bout six years ago at the Golden Grand Prix, Baku in 2015.
“Unfazed by her opponent’s stardom, Adekuoroye paced the bout according to herself and both wrestlers waited for an opening for the first two minutes of the bout. But there was none. The USA wrestler gave up a point for passivity as well,” UWW added.
Also, Adekuoroye’s Coach, Purity Akuh, revealed that the win over the American was well planned. Akuh said: “When we saw the entries of the Poland Open competition, we only focused on Maroulis. We re-watched the two videos where she had lost to Maroulis and planned.”
“Odunayo is a very aggressive wrestler,” her coach said. “I have to calm her every time she goes overboard. I just told her to breathe and today as well we wanted her to be calm.”
After winning the crucial fight, Adekuoroye said: “I had been waiting to wrestle Maroulis and I was planning a lot for this.”
Akuh, who has been nurturing Adekuoroye since she started the sport spoke confidently of her prospect in Tokyo.
“I am very confident Adekuoroye will win a medal at the Olympics. It does not matter the colour of the medal she will win, but at least I am sure she’s going to be on the podium at the end of her event by the grace of God. We are also following up on her rivals to see how she can match up with them in Tokyo.”
Akuh whose trademark of using local Nigeria dialect to pass instruction to Adekuoroye on the court has gone viral said that her athlete understands her better with such language.
“I know that a lot of people have been calling me about the use of Yoruba language to pass the instruction to her during the Poland Open but psychologically, as a coach, you must make use of the best way to inspire and motivate your athletes in court,” he said.
With the way and manner, Adekuoroye took down most of her opponents at Poland Open, Akuh said: “Before the competition, I trained her for strength but few days to the competition having watched most of her possible opponents we had to change to speed and energy which most of her opponents cannot cope with. Her speed and energy made up for the strength she had been gathering for weeks. This is a new tactic we are using for now but for the Olympic Games, we are going to adjust again because with the way she fought at Poland Open, a lot of people will try and study her very well but we will let down our gauntlet as we intend to start training for other tactics for the Olympic Games. There is no doubt that people will see a different athlete in Adekuoroye at Tokyo,” the national wrestling coach said.
In a recent interview with Olympic Channel, Adekuoroye narrated her journey from street hawking to the wrestling world stage. She exuded the belief to conquer the world at Tokyo.
“I am going to Tokyo with the sole aim of winning the gold,” a confident Adekuoroye said. “I’m preparing well, focused, and ready to do the needful that will place me on the podium at the Olympics. I’m ready and working hard on the weak areas, while also strengthening the strong ones,” the Ondo State-born Adekuoroye added.
The six-time African champion’s focus is totally on her career and she has many years ahead of her. She said: “My dad used to tell me, ‘my daughter I believe what I can’t do anymore, you can do it and make me proud.’ The only gift I can give him now is a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The love I have for him will drive me.
“I want to wear an Olympic gold medal, like the wrestler I admire the most, Jordan Burroughs. I love his style. When I was young, I used to watch his videos for hours. I want to succeed like him,” she enthused.
Also, Adekuoroye could not hide her admiration for the Caretaker Chairman of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali is also an Olympic medallist.
She said: “I also admire our own Daniel Igali. He won gold for Canada, but his blood is Nigerian. One day we shall be on that podium with our flag, white and green, and make Nigeria proud.”
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