Team Nigeria have moved one step closer to winning their first medal at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics after Blessing Oborududu qualified for the semi-final of the Women’s Freestyle 68kg weight category.

Oborududu, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, is one of the country’s hopes of winning a medal, and he did not disappoint on the path to winning.

She defeated Canada’s Linda Morais 8-2 in the quarter-final match on Monday afternoon despite starting slowly and conceding two points in the opening three minutes.

The 35-year-old will hope to go one step better than her record in Japan in 2021, where she lost the final to win a silver medal by going all the way to win gold this year.

Blessing Oborududu’s records

Oborududu is one of the most accomplished freestyle wrestlers in the world and is currently ranked number two women’s wrestler.

She won 12 gold medals at the African championships from 2010 to 2023, ranging from 59 kilograms to 68 kilograms, and she picked up bronze in 2009.

She also has five gold medals from the African Games and Commonwealth Games, with one silver medal and one bronze medal in 2010 and 2014, respectively.

She will compete again later tonight in the semi-final against Kyrgyzstani freestyle wrestler Meerim Zhumanazarova, who won bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.