Nigeria picks up two medals at Tokyo winning a wrestling silver and a long jump bronze

NIGERIA has picked up two medals in the Tokyo Olympics this morning after wrestler Blessing Oborududu won a silver in the 68kg category class to add to the bronze long jumper Ese Brume brought home.

After what has been a very disappointing games for Nigeria so far with all sorts of scandals, including sprint queen Blessing Okagbare failing a dope test, fans can finally have something to cheer. Nigeria now sits 64th in the medals table and may climb up if several other athletes add to the country's medals tally.

Gallant Oborududu guaranteed the country a medal yesterday when she qualified for the final but unfortunately lost her last match to Stock Marianna of the US. Hopes were high that she might win Nigeria’s first gold medal at the event but she lost 4-1 to Marianna in the 68kg category class.

Oborududu, 32, was born on March 12, 1989 and lives in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. She studied Business Administration at Nigeria Delta University, Nigeria and began wrestling at St Jude’s Girls Secondary School in Yenagoa.

Prior to today, her most memorable moment was winning gold in the 68kg category at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. Her victory came just a few hours after Brume won Nigeria's first medal at the game by clinching bronze in the women’s long jump.

Germany’s Malaika Mihambo soared to gold in the women’s long jump, snatching victory from former champion Brittney Reese with her last leap of the competition. Mihambo was lying in the bronze medal position ahead of her final jump but powered down the runway to register a season-best jump of 7 metres.

That left 2012 Olympic champion Reese who had led the competition with a best jump of 6.97m with one final attempt to reclaim the lead but she could only manage 6.84 with her last leap to settle for silver. Brume took the bronze medal with a best jump of 6.97m.

Brume said: “I’m just excited, I’m grateful. I’m super happy that I was able to make it to top three. I really want to thank God, I can’t contain my joy, it doesn’t matter the medal, I’m just super happy I made top three."