Eniola Bolaji has made history with her bronze medal win for Nigeria at the 2024 Paralympics currently held in Paris. The 18-year-old won a bronze medal in the women’s singles SL3 badminton event at the La Chapelle Arena on Monday.
With her win, she became the first African athlete to win a medal in Para-Badminton since the sport became part of the Olympics in 1992.
She defeated Ukraine’s Kozyna Oksana 2-0 in a one-sided third-place match to clinch the country’s first medal at the Games.
Bolaji won both sets with an identical 21-9 scoreline against the overwhelmed Ukrainian and wrapped up the match in 24 minutes. On Sunday, the teenager had become the first African to qualify for the semi-final of a badminton event at the Paralympic Games. She defeated India’s Mandeep Kaur 2-0 in the quarter-final.
However, in the semi-final, Bolaji’s dream of winning gold was cut short by China’s Xiao Zhuxian. The Chinese para-athlete proved a sterner competitor than the Nigerian.
Bolaji had promised to win a medal at the Paralympics to honor Bello Rafiu Oyebanji, her late coach who died in a road accident while she was preparing for the Tokyo Olympics.
She took to X to announce her win with the caption: “It was an incredible round-up as I secured a bronze medal for myself, my country, my supporters, and Africa at large at the 2024 Paralympics. God willing, I dedicate this achievement to my late coach, Bello Oyebanji.”
