By Salim Yunusa
Two Nigerians triumphed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games today, Tuesday, August 3, 2021 as the country registered her presence on the medals table with – not one but two medals.
The medal run started in the early hours of Tuesday, with Ese Brume claimed a bronze medal after finishing third in the women’s long jump event.
It concluded with Blessing Oborududu winning the country’s first ever wrestling medal – a silver medal in the women’s freestyle 68kg event.
This was after she failed to overcome Tamyra Mensah-Stock of the U.S, who had beaten her three times earlier, after losing 1-4 in their final match at the Makuhari Mess Hall.
The medal was Nigeria’s first one ever in the wrestling sport since the country’s first-ever appearance at the Olympics in 1952.
As for Brume, she leapt 6.97 metres with her very first jump to claim bronze behind second-placed Brittany Reece of the United States and gold medallist Malaika Mihambo of Germany.
It is Nigeria’s first track and field medal at the Olympics since 2008 when Okagbare won a silver medal in Beijing. It also makes the long jump the first individual event to give Nigeria three medals at the Olympics with Chioma Ajunwa’s gold at the Atlanta ‘96 Olympics topping Okagbare’s silver from 2008 and Brume’s bronze.
Brume also joins Okagbare and Glory Alozie as the only Nigerians to win individual medals at both the Worlds and the Olympic
