Nigeria Content Online

The
second Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Wrestling Tournament in
Jalandhar, India has been concluded with Nigeria finishing with three
silver medals, all of them coming from the female members of the
Nigerian contingent.

Eight wrestlers –
four women and an equal number of men – took part in the tournament
which had 300 wrestlers, representing 20 nations, competing for honours.

First to claim a
silver medal for Nigeria was Hannah Reuben who on Friday lost in the
women’s 67 kilograms weight class to an opponent from Japan.

The final day of
competition, Saturday, saw Blessing Oborodudu, in the 63 kilograms
class, and two-time World Championship bronze medallist Ifeoma
Iheanacho, in the 72 kilogram category, claiming silver medals as well
after both lost to Indian wrestlers.

Could have been better

“It was a good
performance but it could have been better had we been fully prepared
for the tournament,” Daniel Igali, the technical adviser of the
Nigerian team said.

Igali, who did not
travel to India with owing to domestic matters, added: “From my
telephone discussions with Damian Ohaike, the technical director of the
Nigeria wrestling federation and Tony Obaka, who are with the team in
India, I was made to understand that both Blessing and Ifeoma could
have won their bouts had they been in top shape.

“But that’s why
they are all in India. And I’m sure by the time they are through with
their training in India, everyone of them, both the guys and the
ladies, will be a handful for anyone they come up against.” The
Nigerian team will remain in India for another fortnight training with
their Indian counterparts before returning home as part of their
preparations for next year’s Olympic Games.

India, with four
teams on parade, emerged overall winners at the end of the three-day
tournament with nine gold, six silver and 11 bronze medals.

The tournament was staged in honour of the legendary Indian freedom
fighter, Bhagat Singh who was executed in 1931 by the British colonial
government for shooting a police officer in response to the killing of
another Indian freedom fighter Lajpat Lai.