Nigerian wrestler Blessing Oborududu has won the first silver medal for Team Nigeria in the on-going Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Oborududu lost 4-1 to her opponent, USA’s Tamyra Mensah-Stock in the final of the women’s freestyle 68kg on Tuesday.
She is the first Nigerian wrestler ever to win a silver medal at the Games. Born on March 12 1989 in Gbanranu, Enugu State, she is a freestyle wrestler known for her physique and energetic body.
The commonwealth champion Blessing Oborududu became the first Nigerian to reach the final of a wrestling event at the Olympics, after recording an impressive 7-2 victory against 2012 bronze medallist Battsetseg Soronzonbold of Mongolia in the last four clashes in 2016.
She won the silver medal at the 2021 Poland open held in Warsaw, Poland, and also qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Her career has taken an uprise in her wrestling years.
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She has won a gold medal at the African wrestling championships every year for the last 11 years, except for 2012 when she did not enter due to competing in the 2012 summer Olympics. She competed in the freestyle 63kg event at the 2012 summer Olympics and was eliminated in the 1/8 finals by Monika Michalik
She also won the bronze medal in the women’s middleweight at the 2014 commonwealth games. Oborududu beat Chloe Spiteri in her bronze medal match during the women’s middleweight match in 2014 She won a gold medal for women’s 63kg category at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games
She won a gold medal at the Gold coast 2018 commonwealth games in the 68kg women’s freestyle wrestling event, defeating Canada’s Danielle Lappage.
She qualified at the 2021 African and Oceania wrestling Olympic qualification tournament to represent Nigeria at the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
She has not revealed any information concerning her relationship status.
Lately, she has also been getting high praises by former Olympic and commonwealth freestyle wrestling champion, and current president of the Nigerian wrestling federation, Daniel Igali, who has showered encomiums on Blessing after the wrestler advanced to the final of the women’s 68kg freestyle wrestling event at the on-going Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
He also made other comments about her saying she is one of the best-disciplined athletes groomed by him. After losing in the finals during her inter-house sports competition he saw potential and zeal in her and decided to train her.
“The results we are beginning to see at the Olympic level are about a decade of preparations coming to fruition, if anyone deserves to win a medal here it’s Blessing Oborududu,” Igali said.
