Nigeria capped a successful boxing campaign at the 4th African Youth Games with two gold medals as the tournament drew to a close in Luanda, Angola, on Friday.
Young boxing prospects Ayomide Mayowa and Faruk Abijuwon rose to the occasion in their respective finals, delivering impressive performances to secure top honours for Nigeria in the boxing events.
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Mayowa set the tone in the women’s 48kg final, defeating Algeria’s Bensallah Bouthania to claim Nigeria’s first gold of the day.
Abijuwon followed with an equally composed display in the men’s 50kg final, outclassing Bofenda Mabela of the Republic of Congo to seal a second gold medal.
The victories capped strong runs through the competition for both athletes.
Mayowa progressed past Angola’s Zola Lando in the quarter-finals before overcoming Tunisia’s Queslati Tasnim in the semi-finals to reach the final.
Abijuwon also showed consistency en route to the title, recording quarter-final and semi-final wins over Tunisia’s Salmane Kochbati and Ghana’s Williams Laryea respectively.
The Nigeria Boxing Federation (NBF) commended the boxers for their resilience and technical excellence, describing their success as a major boost for the sport’s development in the country. NBF Vice President, Omonlei Imadu, expressed satisfaction with the performances and congratulated the athletes for flying the nation’s flag high.
Nigeria’s medal haul in boxing was further strengthened by Solomon Joshua, who claimed a bronze medal after a series of hard-fought bouts.
The strong showing in Luanda has been widely viewed as a positive indicator of Nigeria’s growing strength at youth level.
The boxers’ achievements highlighted a promising future for the sport.
