Reigning African women’s wrestling champion Hannah Reuben will be looking to make the most of Nigeria’s last chance of winning a medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris when she begins her campaign in wrestling on Saturday (today), PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The 26-year-old, who competes in the women’s freestyle 76kg category, carries the weight of a nation on her shoulders as she steps onto the mat at the Champ-de-Mars Arena.
With Nigeria’s 88 athletes across 12 disciplines falling short of podium finishes, Reuben stands as the only remaining athlete with a shot at the podium.
Ranked eighth in the world, Reuben will face Mongolia’s Davaanasan Enkh-Amar in the quarterfinal.
Her most recent accomplishment was the African Championship title at the African Games in Ghana. She also claimed gold at the 2023 World Military Wrestling Championships, establishing herself as a formidable force in her weight class.
The wrestler’s path to glory won’t be easy. Her first bout will be crucial, but hopes are high that she can overcome the challenges and secure a medal for Nigeria as the country’s final contender.
Nigeria’s wrestling team, under the guidance of head coach Purity Akuh, arrived in Paris with high expectations, aiming to build on their historic success at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where Blessing Oborududu won a silver medal in the 68 kg category.
All has not been well with the team in Paris, with medal hopefuls like Odunayo Adekuoroye and Oborududu falling short of expectations. The former lost 8-10 to China’s Hong Kexin in the women’s freestyle 57 kg event, while the latter, wrestling with an injury, lost the bronze medal match to Japan’s Nonoka Ozaki.
Other wrestlers also faced early exits. Christianah Ogunsanya lost 1-3 to Mongolia’s Khulan Batkhuyag in the round of 16 of the women’s freestyle 53 kg event, while Esther Kolawole was defeated 1-5 by Kyrgyzstan’s Aisuluu Tynybekova in the quarterfinals of the 62 kg freestyle.
In the men’s category, Adeyemi Mutuwa lost by superiority to Daniel Ligeti of Hungary in the last eight of the 125 kg freestyle event.
For Reuben, Paris 2024 was not just about personal glory but about lifting the spirits of a nation that has invested its hopes in her success. Her performance will be closely watched by fans back home and around the world.
Victory for Reuben would not only secure a medal for Nigeria but also inspire the next generation of wrestlers and athletes, proving that with determination and grit, anything is possible.
