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Sports News of Thursday, 27 May 2021

Source: guardian.ng

Coach sure Adekuoroye will win a medal at Tokyo Olympics

Odunayo Adekuoroye Odunayo Adekuoroye

Head Coach of Team Nigeria’s women wrestling team, Purity Akuh, has assured the country that world number two, Odunayo Adekuoroye, will win a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

He added that the other women billed for the Games scheduled from July 23 to August 8 in Japan, would also make the country proud.
 
Adekuoroye, who secured the Olympics ticket in the 57kg women freestyle event at the Senior World Wrestling Championships in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, is expected to raise her game, especially with the support of Halogen, a firm that is assisting her in her preparations for the Olympics through the adopt-an-athlete initiative by the sports ministry.  
Speaking to The Guardian yesterday, Akuh said, “I am very confident Adekuoroye will win a medal at the Olympics. It does not matter the colour of the medal she will win, but at least I am sure she’s going to be on the podium at the end of her event by the grace of God.
 
“Right now, we are putting finishing touches to ensure she is in a good shape. In two weeks time, she will travel to Poland for a ranking series and when we come back, we will organise for her a local competition to also put her in good shape for her opponents at the Olympics.”

“The Nigerian Wrestling Federation Caretaker Committee chairman, Daniel Igali, is someone who has the interest of the sport at heart and doesn’t wait for anyone before calling the wrestlers to camp. We have been in camp for two weeks now, and Mr Igali is someone who knows what it takes to be an Olympic medalist because he has been there before.
 
“We are also following up on her rivals to see how she can match up with them,” he said, adding that other wrestlers like (Blessing) Oborududu, and (Aminat) Adeniyi too have equal chances to mount the podium at the Tokyo Olympics.

“I have no doubt in my mind that our women wrestlers will put smiles on our faces this time around by God’s grace.”