🇫🇷 AFBC countdown to 2024 Paris Olympic Games, July 27- August 10
MAIYEGUN’S LEGACY LIVES ON
▪️ He won Nigeria’s first Olympic boxing medal but has nothing to show for his historic feat
▪️ _It’s 28 years now since Nigeria won their last boxing medal in the Olympic Games_
Nigeria’s three boxers to the Paris Olympics have a number of past great boxers to look up to for inspiration.
One of them is Nojim Maiyegun, the first Nigerian boxer to win an Olympic medal – a bronze – at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, in the light-middleweight class.
While the now blind 84-year-old Maiyegun, who’s living a lonely life in Austria having relocated there in 1971, may be an inspiration to the Paris-bound boxers, what’s disheartening is lack of appreciation for boxers who’ve brought glory to Africa’s most populous nation.
On his triumphant return home after his historic feat in Tokyo, Maiyegun said he received nothing from the government despite not only being the first Nigerian boxing medallist in the Olympics but also winning the first ever Olympic medal for Nigeria since they made their debut in the prestigious multi-sport event in 1952 in Helsinki.
“I don’t recall getting anything as a reward for winning Nigeria’s first Olympic medal,” said Maiyegun.
“Former president Ibrahim Babangida gave an award but it was taken back by the government. I thought it would be mine forever.”
As Nigeria’s three boxers, featherweight Dolapo Omole, lightweight Cynthia Ogunsemilore and heavyweight Adam Olaore prepare to do battle in the Paris Olympics, they’re well aware on the importance of winning an Olympic medal but they expect no significant recognition from the government.
Against this background, it’s time the Nigerian government introduced a rewarding scheme for boxers who excel at major international competitions to inspire them and future generations like they do with the footballers.
Nigeria’s eight gold and two silver medallists at the African Games in Accra, Ghana, so far have nothing substantial to show for their historic achievement which is not good at all for the overall development of Africa boxing. There’s need for concerted efforts in the improvement of boxing standards in Africa, and one valuable ingredient is to recognise boxers with substantial rewards whenever they excel in major international events.
It’s now 28 years since super-heavyweight Duncan Dokiwari won Nigeria’s last Olympic medal at the 1996 Games in Atlanta in the USA where he bagged a bronze, the sixth boxing Olympic medal for the West African country. Will the three boxers for the Paris Games end the 28-year drought?
Coach Odura Olalehin, now with the boxers in a pre-Games camp in Germany, is confident of success in Paris, singling out Ogunsemilore as a favourite to win Nigeria’s first ever Olympics gold medal.
At the 1964 Olympics, Maiyegun received a bye to the second round. Pitted against Britain’s William Robinson, Maiyegun uncorked a two-fisted onslaught on the helpless Briton, stopping him in one minute 59 seconds of the first round. In the quarter-finals, Maiyegun was in a furious mood, relentlessly pounding Denmark’s Tom Bogs forcing the referee to stop the fight in the first round. The Nigerian boxer then dropped a points verdict to Joseph Gonzales of France in the semi-finals, returning home with a bronze medal to become Nigeria’s first ever medallist in the Olympic Games.
Maiyegun’s achievement aside, African boxers gave a good account of themselves at the 1964 Olympics. Ghana’s Eddie Davies was fifth overall in the light-middleweight division, Egypt’s Sayed El-Nahas ninth, Zimbabwe’s Jannie Gibson and Ethiopia’s Bekele Alemu joint 17th. In addition to Maiyegun, other boxers who represented Nigeria in the 1964 Olympics were bantamweight Karimu Young, featherweight Anthony Andeh and welterweight Sikuru Alimi.
Eight years later following Maiyegun’s historic feat in 1964, light-heavyweight Isaac Ikhouria added Nigeria’s second Olympic medal, a bronze at the 1972 Munich Olympics with Peter Konyegwachie winning Nigeria’s first ever Olympics silver in 1984 in Los Angeles at featherweight.
The 1992 Barcelona Olympics were the most successful for the Nigerian boxers when they scooped two silvers through heavyweight David Izonritei and super-heavyweight Richard Igbineghu.
Big-punching Duncan Dokiwari from Port Harcourt added Nigeria’s sixth Olympic medal – a bronze – in the 1996 Games in Atlanta in the United States.
Overall, Nigerian boxers have now won three silver and three bronze medals in the Olympic Games but the gold medal still remains elusive. They can however claim some bragging rights in Anthony Joshua ‘s gold medal at the 2012 Olympics but he did it under the British flag though he has his roots in Nigeria.
So far Nigerian boxers have participated in the Olympic Games 14 times.
The first time was at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome with four boxers donning the national colours. The four boxers were flyweight Karimu Young, bantamweight Joseph Oboh, featherweight Joe Okezie and welterweight Whitfield Moseley.
After Rome, Nigeria’s next stop was in 1964 in Tokyo, and then 1968 Mexico Olympics, Munich 1972, Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984, Seoul 1988 in which the current national coach, Tony Konyegwachie was in the seven-man team, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016.
📸 Nigeria’s first Olympic Games boxing medallist, Nojim Maiyegun, in action at the 1964 Games in Tokyo. Photo courtesy
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