Share
By Abiodun Adewale.
President, Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali, says Nigerian male wrestlers will be back on the podium in years to come as the federation begins building another generation of grapplers, The PUNCH reports.
The performance of the male team has been overshadowed by the successes of the female team at continental and international levels over the years and it was repeated at the just-concluded 2023 African Wrestling Championships in Hammamet, Tunisia, where Nigeria won six gold, four silver and two bronze medals.
Harrison Onovwiomogbohwo (86kg) and Ebikeme Newlife (79kg) added the bronze medals to Nigeria’s haul after the female team had won six gold and four silver medals to put Nigeria third on the championship rankings with 12 medals on the last day of the competition.
The male team finished in sixth in the men’s rankings with 70 points, while their female counterparts won the female title with 230 points.
In a chat with The PUNCH, Igali expressed hope in the new set up of the male team, stressing that female wrestling had been Nigeria’s strength for a long time.
“We have freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling. Traditionally, we are not a Greco Roman country and in all fairness, we don’t have to be in every style, especially if you have a limited budget. So, our focus has been more on female wrestling because of our comparative advantage, and freestyle wrestling as well,” Igali told our correspondent.
“Overtime, the results have been mixed, to say the least, but we are trying to get a new national team because the former wrestlers are all in their late 30s. On this team, we have two 19-year-olds, one 21 and another is 22, plus a veteran. So, it’s a bit of an overhaul of the team, which is going to take a bit of time. Let’s say in the next three, four years, we will have a brand new team with younger athletes who will be winning on the continent, commonwealth, world and Olympic levels.”
Nigerian wrestlers will now turn their attention to qualifying for the World Wrestling Championships, which will hold in Serbia September. The event serves as the first qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
