Nigeria claimed three gold medals, one silver and three bronze medals at the World Taekwondo-sanctioned G-4 tournament held at Palais des Sports Salamatou Maiga in Mali, Sports Africana reports.
Morocco once again asserted its dominance, securing a total of 14 medals (six gold, three silver and five bronze medals).
Team Nigeria, represented by a 13-member squad across Kyorugi, Poomsae, and Para events and recorded one of its best historical continental performances, securing seven medals overall (3 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze) at the World Taekwondo-sanctioned G-4 tournament.
Nigeria’s first gold medal came in the Poomsae event after Aderibigbe Faridah claimed gold in the Freestyle Poomsae category. She also teamed up with Salawudeen Abdulafeez to win silver in the Pair Poomsae event.
Also, Haruna Usman increased the gold medal to two in the Poomsae U-40 Male category, while Para-Taekwondo athlete Mathew Udom’s dominant display delivered gold medal in the -57kg Kyorugi category.
Joel Jordan, a UK-based athlete, battled his way to the podium in the men’s +87kg division, securing bronze and delivering Nigeria’s opening medal at the Palais des Sports Salamatou Maiga.
The second bronze medal came courtesy of Chidinma Okoko in the women’s 62kg category. Starting her campaign from the quarterfinal stage, she overcame Mali’s Samake Goundo to reach the semifinals.
Though she fell short of advancing further, her bronze finish added to Nigeria’s tally, bringing the team’s total to two medals.
Niger Republic and host, Cote d’Ivoire, delivered incredibly strong performances in the combat (Kyorugi) divisions, finishing second and third in the overall combined men’s and women’s team trophies, respectively.
The Niger contingent notably secured several championship titles, including Nouridine Issaka (-58kg) who took home the tournament’s MVP award.
