Taiwo Adelu
The outstanding performance of athletes of four sports was what Team Nigeria needed to ensure that the country came second at the just concluded 2015 All Africa Games in Congo-Brazzaville.
At the Congo Games, which came to a close on Saturday, Nigeria surpassed its third position outing at the 2011 Games held in Maputo, Mozambique, as the country pulled its weight to come second in the 2015 edition with a total of 147 medals; 47 gold, 56 silver and 44 bronze.
While the supposed ‘king’ of sports, football could not produced the popular football gold, giving an uncelebrated bronze medal in the men’s football event, sports such as athletics, weightlifting, para -athletics, Powerlifting and wrestling increased Team Nigeria’s medals haul to overtake South Africa on the eve of the closing ceremony of the multi sports championship.
Breakdown of medals won sport by sport as released by the National Sports Commission (NSC) on Monday shows that weightlifting produced the highest number of medals won with a total of 8 gold, 18 silver and 9 bronze, making 35 medals in all, while athletics produced 10 gold, 9 silver and 4 bronze; a total of 23 medals.
Disabled athletes with the combination of para-athletics and powerlifting produced a total of 31 medals ; 12 gold, 11 silver and 8 bronze.
Wrestling is another sport that gave Nigeria a considerable numbers of medals with a total of 18 medals ; 9 gold, 5 silver and 4 bronze.
Other sports that contributed more than two medals to the glory made in Congo include boxing with 6 medals of 4 gold, 2 silver. Table tennis got 7 medals consisting 1 gold, 3 silver, 3 bronze. Taekwondo produced 7 medals (1 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze. Judo got 3 medals (3 bronze)., while badminton produced 6 medals (1 silver, 5 bronze).
The following sports, however, produced two medals each, basketball (1 silver, 1 bronze). Tennis (1 silver, 1 bronze). Cycling (1 silver, 1 bronze) . Karate (2 bronze), while gymnastics and beach volleyball produced one bronze and one gold medal respectively.
Meanwhile, Director General (DG) of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Alhassan Yakmut said the next All Africa Games, which will be hosted by any of the three contesting cities ; Accra Ghana, Nairobi Kenya and Lusaka Zambia in 2019, will be better in terms of position on the medal table.
“The next Games will be different. We’ll not come second, but we will be determined to win the competition, ” said Yakmut.