At just 13 years old, Tofumi Ibidapo is making waves—literally and figuratively—at the 2025 National Sports Festival in Abeokuta, emerging as one of the most exciting young prospects in Nigerian sports and a beacon of the nation’s Olympic future.
A student of The Grange School, Ikeja, Lagos, Tofumi is representing Oyo State in a string of swimming events.
Her performance has already etched her name in the history books by helping Oyo State secure its first swimming medal in seven years, a silver in the women’s 200m freestyle—a feat last achieved in 2018.
Far from being a one-off, Tofumi returned to the pool and impressed once again—this time helping her state to another medal in the grueling 1,500m freestyle. Her poise, stamina, and competitive fire have stunned spectators and drawn praise from across the Nigerian sporting landscape.
Discovered at the National Youth Games, Tofumi has since represented Nigeria at international levels, but it is her performance at the Gateway Games 2025 that is turning her lifelong Olympic dream into a visible, attainable goal.
“I was just focused on getting a medal, and eventually I did,” she said after her 1,500m race. “It was a tough event, but I gave it everything. My dream has always been to go to the Olympics. Maybe at the next festival, I can win a personal gold medal.”
In an age where most of her peers are just discovering sports, Tofumi is already shaping up to be a once-in-a-generation talent—a product of Nigeria’s grassroots system now bearing fruit on the national stage.
With the spotlight now firmly on her, there’s a growing sense that Tofumi Ibidapo could soon be more than just a national sensation—she may very well become Nigeria’s next Olympic star
