World Taekwondo Rankings: Anyanacho jumps to 28

Despite first round exit in taekwondo event at the just concluded Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Elizabeth Anyanacho has moved up to the top 28 in the latest ranking for women’s -67kg released by the World Taekwondo (WT).

With this development, Anyanacho has broken into the top thirty after her participation at the G-20 ranked Tokyo Olympic Games.

The 22-year-old who lost in the round of 16 to former world champion and double Olympic medalist, Nur Tartar of Turkey, also saw her Olympic ranking improve to 42nd in the world from the 65th position prior to the Olympics.

The improved Olympic ranking will be a booster to Anyanacho’s target to qualify automatically for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games as qualification rules allocate automatic slots to the top six Olympic-ranked athletes, in the months leading up to the quadriennial games . Anyanacho’s ability to improve her current ranking will be dependent on securing resources to attend these events.

Anyanacho made history as the second Nigerian woman taekwondist to qualify for the Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020 after Princess Dudu last achieved the feat at the Athens 2004 Olympics. In June 2021, she defeated the current African Champion Hedaya Malak in the semi-finals of the African Taekwondo Championships before narrowly losing to former world champion, Ruth Gbagbi of Cote D’Ivoire in the finals.

Leading up to the Olympics, the nascent Anyanacho claimed another major international gold medal when she won the World Taekwondo G-2 ranked Beirut Open, the last event on the WT calendar before the Tokyo Olympics game.