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Tag: Aminat Adeniyi

  • Wike Challenge Cup: Adeniyi targets Africa Championship

    Wike Challenge Cup: Adeniyi targets Africa Championship

    Three-time African champion, Aminat Adeniyi is already looking forward to dominate the 62kg weight category at the Governor Wike Challenge Cup in Port Harcourt.
    The competition holding at the Indoor Sports Hall of the Alfred Diette-Spiff Civic Center in Port Harcourt,  will be used as a yardstick to showcase preparations ahead of the 2018 African Wrestling Championships and select wrestlers who will represent the country at the African tourney.
    The 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medalist, who had dominated the 58kg, class informed NationSportthat her main aim is to secure the automatic qualification for the African Wrestling Championship.
    “I am not scared of anybody in this category,” begins the All Africa Games medalist.
    “This competition is important to me because I want to represent Nigeria at the African Wrestling championship which we are hosting next year, “the Ondo born wrestler told NationSport.

    Read Also: Wike Wrestling Challenge Cup: Kolawole grabs first gold for MFM

  • AFRICAN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS: Lack of funds threatens Nigeria’s participation

    AFRICAN WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS: Lack of funds threatens Nigeria’s participation

    With four days left to the commencement of the 2017 Africa Wrestling Championships in Marrakech, Morocco, the hope of having all Nigeria wrestlers at the event is in serious doubts due to non availability of funds.

    Top African countries including South Africa, Egypt and host, Morocco are expected to participate at the Championship billed to hold from April 26 to May 1, 2017.

    About 24 wrestlers who qualified to represent the country following their exploits at the 2nd Governor Seriake Dickson Wrestling Classics held in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State are yet to be called into camp, while most of them are in the dark over their visas.

    In a chat with NationSport, some of the athletes who do not want their names in print, expressed disappointment with their preparations as they are also not aware of their travelling plans by the Federal Ministry of Sports.

    However, Secretary of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Ahmed Abdullahi in a telephone chat with NationSport on Friday afternoon, revealed that funds are expected to be released by the ministry on Monday, while some of the wrestlers are expected to get their visas the same day.

    “Our preparation for the Africa Championship is on course, we are now planning to do the visa pending the release of money by the ministry to know the number of athletes that will actually be going.

    “I’m even at the Moroccan Embassy now and we were told to bring the passports on Monday but because of the paucity of funds we cannot go with all the contingents.

    “Some of the wrestlers have borrowed money and they will pay for their air tickets and when the money is released on Monday, we can do the visas for some of the athletes who could not get money on their own.

    “So if we cannot get enough funds, then we will only go for the styles that we have strong holds and sure of medals”.

    If Nigeria is to put up appearance at the event considering submission by the secretary, it means the ministry and other bodies involved will need to work at break-neck-speed to meet up as they will have only two days to the championship by Monday.

    Failure of Nigeria Olympic wrestlers to participate at the championship will see wrestlers such as Odun Adekuoroye, Aminat Adeniyi, Amas Daniel, Soso Tamara, Blessing Oborududu and Melvin Bibo lose their titles.

  • Igali laments uncertainty in Nigerian sports

    Igali laments uncertainty in Nigerian sports

    Having tasted what it takes to compete at global levels in sports, coupled with his managerial experience as an administrator, Daniel Igali is very bitter over the uncertainty in Nigerian sports.
    Igali, President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation (NWF) has picked holes in the idea of sports federation not knowing their specific budget for a whole year.
    “The idea of sports federations relying on Ministry of Youth and Sports is not too good for our sports. In Nigeria, it is only the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) that gets its fund directly from government, while other sports will have to rely on the decisions of the ministry of Youth and Sports. This is not too good for our development and it puts other sports federations on uncertainty level. We cannot continue like this for sports to thrive and this is really affecting other sports. And those in the ministry seem not to understand what sports is all about,” he lamented.
    For the United World Wrestling-organised 2016 Golden Grand Prix holding in Azerbaijan, Igali disclosed that Odunayo Adekuoroye and Aminat Adeniyi have decided to raise funds to be part of the championship.
    Meanwhile, three gold medallists from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and three more from London 2012 headline a field of world and Olympic Games medal winners at the Golden Grand Prix Final getting under way Thursday.
    Rio 2015 gold medallist Taha AKGUL (TUR) will help kick off the freestyle events on the first day of the three-day tourney. while Greco-Roman gold medalists Ismael BORRERO MOLINA (CUB) and Mijain LOPEZ NUNEZ (CUB) will bring the curtain down on Saturday.
    London 2012 gold medal winners Togrul ASGAROV (AZE), Sharif SHARIPOV (AZE) and Jordan BURROUGHS (USA) are also slated to compete in freestyle on the first day of wrestling at Baku Sports Hall.
    The tournament holds at Baku Sports Hall and it ends on Saturday November 24.

  • Adeniyi leads two others in wrestling medals’ chase

    Adeniyi leads two others in wrestling medals’ chase

    Commonwealth gold medalist, Aminat Adeniyi will lead the duo of Genesis Mercy and Hannah Rueben as Team Nigeria begins their quest for medals in the wrestling event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

    Adeniyi, a double African champion will compete against the world’s best in the freestyle event of the women’s 58kg. She is expected to battle for medal against 19 other wrestlers across the globe.

    Mercy Genesis, who is making her international debut at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will jostle for laurel in the women’s 48kg against 19 others including former Olympic Games medalist.

    Experienced Reuben,who is making her Olympic Games debut will have her hands full against 17 others in the women’s 69kg of freestyle event.

    Five female and two male wrestlers are expected to compete for Team Nigeria at the Rio Olympic Games with all eyes on Odunayo Adekuoroye, a bronze medalist at the 2015 World Championship and rated as one of favourites to clinch medal in the freestyle event.

    Meanwhile, Cuba’s Mijain Lopez Nunez won his third straight Olympic Games gold medal at the weekend with a 6-0 victory over reigning world champion Turkey’s Riza Kayaalp at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

    With the victory, Lopez becomes the third wrestler in the classic style to win three Olympic Games gold medals after Sweden’s Carl Westergren and Russia’s Alexander Karelin.

    After last year’s 1-0 loss to Kayaalp in the world championships finals, many wrestling fans were expecting a hard-fought struggle, but Lopez sealed his victory in the opening 30 seconds of the gold medal final.

    Lopez snapped Kayaalp down as the champ moved forward at the opening whistle.  With Kayaalp’s balance broken forward, Lopez wrapped up a tight chest-lock from in front and tossed the champ to his back for a sudden 4-0 lead. In the ensuring scramble, Lopez added a step-out point.

    As things got chippy with a frustrated Kayaalp in the second period, Lopez gained another penalty point and appeared to have technical fall within reach with one minute to go, but he chose to ease home with the victory.

    Earlier in the day, Lopez defeated London 2012 silver medalist Estonia’s Heike Nabi, bronze medalist Sweden’s Johan Euren and two-time junior world champion Russia’s Sergey Semenov – all by simple decisions.

  • Olympics: Adeniyi leads two others for medals chase in wrestling

    Olympics: Adeniyi leads two others for medals chase in wrestling

    Commonwealth gold medalist, Aminat Adeniyi will lead the duo of Genesis Mercy and Hannah Rueben as Team Nigeria begins their quest for medals in the wrestling event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

    Adeniyi, a double African champion will compete against the world’s best in the freestyle event of the women’s 58kg. She is expected to battle for medal against 19 other wrestlers across the globe.

    Mercy Genesis, who is making her international debut at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will jostle for laurel in the women’s 48kg against 19 others including former Olympic Games medalist.

    Experienced Hannah Reuben who is making her Olympic Games debut will have her hands full against 17 others in the women’s 69kg of freestyle event.

    Five female and two male wrestlers are expected to compete for Team Nigeria at the Rio Olympic Games with all eyes on Odunayo Adekuoroye, a bronze medalist at the 2015 World Championship and rated as one of favourites to clinch medal in the freestyle event.

    Meanwhile, Cuba’s Mijain Lopez Nunez won his third straight Olympic Games gold medal at the weekend with a 6-0 victory over reigning world champion Turkey’s Riza Kayaalp at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

    With the victory, Lopez becomes the third wrestler in the classic style to win three Olympic Games gold medals after Sweden’s Carl Westergren and Russia’s Alexander Karelin.

    After last year’s 1-0 loss to Kayaalp in the world championships finals, many wrestling fans were expecting a hard-fought struggle, but Lopez sealed his victory in the opening 30 seconds of the gold medal final.

    Lopez snapped Kayaalp down as the champ moved forward at the opening whistle.  With Kayaalp’s balance broken forward, Lopez wrapped up a tight chest-lock from in front and tossed the champ to his back for a sudden 4-0 lead. In the ensuring scramble, Lopez added a step-out point.

    As things got chippy with a frustrated Kayaalp in the second period, Lopez gained another penalty point and appeared to have technical fall within reach with one minute to go, but he chose to ease home with the victory.

    Earlier in the day, Lopez defeated London 2012 silver medalist Estonia’s Heike Nabi, bronze medalist Sweden’s Johan Euren and two-time junior world champion Russia’s Sergey Semenov – all by simple decisions.