It was an electrifying atmosphere inside the Cinema Hall of the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, as Taiwo Ogunbanwo of Team Ogun stunned the crowd by clinching gold in the men’s 10m air rifle event at the National Sports Festival.
It was an electrifying atmosphere inside the Cinema Hall of the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, as Taiwo Ogunbanwo of Team Ogun stunned the crowd by clinching gold in the men’s 10m air rifle event at the National Sports Festival.
Ogunbanwo delivered a stellar performance, firing 24 shots over 12 rounds to accumulate 225.4 points—enough to dethrone Nigeria’s long-reigning number one shooter, Okposo Esugo of Delta State, who finished with 223.5 points. Borno State’s Samuel Okanlawon took the bronze with 204.0 points.
Esugo had maintained an iron grip on the 10m air rifle gold for the past 15 years, a run that cemented his status as the nation’s top marksman. However, Ogunbanwo’s inspired showing has added to Ogun State’s growing medal tally and disrupted the long-standing order.
Team Ogun also bagged silver in the team 10m air rifle event, with the duo of Ogunbanwo and Oluremi Emmanuel narrowly losing out to Delta’s Okposo Esugo and Diri Joseph.
Reacting to his triumph, Ogunbanwo credited his victory to intense preparation and the support of the Ogun State government.
“The N2.5 million promise by Governor Dapo Abiodun truly lifted my spirit and motivated me,” he said, beaming with pride.
