Team Oyo have finally found their mojo after what looked like a sluggish start at the National Sports Festival in Edo state.
It was like a disappointment in the early days of the competition as the team raked in a lot of bronze medals without gold to show for their efforts.
The Director of Organization of the Oyo State Sports Council, Mr. Kehinde Ojelowo expressed confidence despite the slow start that the team will win more gold than they did in Abuja 2018, where they won 16 gold medals when Joseph David won Oyo’s first gold in Judo.
While a lot would have expected an instant gold rush, it wasn’t to be as quick as possible as team Oyo missed out on some more gold medals.
The reward for hard work they say is a success, tides changed today in Edo as the Pacesetter state eventually found pace to win the most treasured gold medal.
With 10 gold medals won in total as of day 11, Oyo has added 6 gold medals today (day 12) to her medal haul to equal the sixteen gold medals won in Abuja 2018.
The duo of Adeoye Johnson and Seun Aiyedun opened the flood gates of golds by winning gold number 11 for team Oyo in the Trado Sport (Ayo Olopon).
Sarah Adegoke followed suit immediately with gold in the ladies’ tennis single final while the duo of Alao Adedolapo and Saheed Adeyemi also won gold in the men’s doubles Darts 701 event to make it 13 gold medals and the third for the day.
The peak of the pack so far came from Rofiat Anuoluwa Lawal who won three gold medals in the weightlifting (59kg) category, making it 6 gold medals won and still counting on day 12 and 16 gold medals amazed so far.
This feat has thus equaled the team’s 16 gold medals won in Abuja 2018 Sports Festival.
With more games to come in chess, weightlifting, wrestling, tennis, table tennis, athletics, etc, Oyo is set to cart home 20 gold medals and more at the Nigerian Olympics.
Meanwhile, Nigerian international, Tawakalt Yekeen won silver in the ladies cycling elimination race. It’s Tawakalt’s third medal at the event while Sodiq Ajibade also added bronze in the men’s elimination race.
In para-powerlifting, Kazeem Oseni (72kg) went home with silver.
