WRESTLING: Adekuoroye Settles For Bronze In Bulgaria Ranking Event

World silver-medalist Odunayo Adekuoroye settled for a bronze medal in the 57kg class at the just-concluded Dan Kolov-Nikola Petrov ranking series tournament in Ruse, Bulgaria.

The 2-time Commonwealth champion, who won a gold medal in a similar tournament in Germany a few days earlier, humiliated Sweden’s Sara Lindborg 10-0 via technical superiority in the bronze medal match.

After brilliantly dispatching her opponents in the earlier rounds, Adekuoroye narrowly lost 6-4 to eventual champion Ningning Rong of China in the semi-final.

Meanwhile, Adekuoroye’s compatriot and Commonwealth champion, Aminat Adeniyi fell shot of her desire to win a medal in the 62kg category as she was stopped by Luisa Niemesch, the German prevailing 12-1 in the repechage.

The other Nigerian at the tournament, Blessing Oborududu, also a Commonwealth gold-medalist, was stopped in the quarter-final of the 68kg weight class by Alla Cherkaskova. The Ukrainian defeated the 8-time African champion 8-5. Oborududu had earlier won a bronze medal at the Grand Prix of Germany ranking event in Dormagen a few days earlier.

In the two ranking tournaments in Germany and Bulgaria, Team Nigeria clinched three medals; one gold and two bronze medals, with Adekuoroye accounting for two medals.

The three athletes along with female national team head coach, Purity Akuh, who led them to the competition, are expected back in the country on Monday after their exploits in Germany and Bulgaria.