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By Peter Akinbo
Following their disappointing exit from the final set of Paris 2024 Olympic Games boxing qualifiers in Bangkok, Thailand, some Nigerian boxers have attributed their poor performance to inadequate preparations.
Nigeria’s boxing team, comprising Patricia Mbata, Zainab Adeshina, Blessing Oraekwe and Ifeanyi Onyekwere, failed to win any of the 51 available slots for the Paris Olympics.
Our correspondent reached out to the quartet and got responses from Adeshina, Oraekwe and Onyekwere about the conditions leading up to the qualifiers.
Onyekwere, the sole male boxer in the Nigerian contingent, who crashed out after a point decision defeat against Dmytro Lovchynskyi of Ukraine in the men’s +92kg (super-heavyweight) round of 32, expressed his frustration over the lack of proper preparation.
“The preparation was very bad. It was just one week camp, with a lot of stress in it. After training, we would need to go do police report, medical report and a lot of other things that cut into our time for rest. It takes us weeks to do that normally. There was no good food in camp, no allowances, and no rest,” Onyekwere lamented.
“Good training and rest make a boxer or an athlete perform well. Just like the African Games in Ghana, we were given good training and time to rest, that’s why we came out overall best team in Ghana with eight gold and two silver.”
Adeshina, who competed in the women’s 50kg category and reached the quarter-finals, echoed Onyekwere’s sentiments, adding that the team lacked adequate training equipment, “There was no proper preparation and then we did not have adequate equipment for training for this qualifier at all.”
Oraekwe, who competed in the women’s 66kg category and suffered a unanimous points (0-5) loss to Armenian Ani Hovsepyan in the round of 32, highlighted the impact of the late call-up to camp on their overall performance.
“To me, there was no proper arrangement and we didn’t have enough time to rest. They called the camp late and it affected our performance,” Oraekwe said.
Retired boxer Ikechukwu Okoronkwo also weighed in on the issue, emphasising the need for extended training camps to enhance the boxers’ skills and competitiveness on the world stage.
“Even though our coaches have confidence in the natural ability of our boxers, I believe Team Nigeria boxers need long camping and international tours to develop advanced skills to be able to outclass other boxers when it comes to world boxing competitions,” Okoronkwo asserted.
In total, three Nigerian boxers: Olaore Adams, Cynthia Ogunsemilore and Omole Dolapo, who all secured qualifications in 2023 in Senegal, are the country’s only pugilists heading to the Paris Olympics.