Nigerian female martial arts expert, Thursdaline Peter got part of the spotlight on the last day of the 1st Nigeria Taekwondo Open in Abuja, as she was voted the competition’s best referee.
Sports247.ng reports that Peter, who also coaches youngsters in self-defence and competes in international events, put aside her personal ambitions to serve as a an umpire during the top-notch competition.
For her untiring efforts, Peter eventually went home with the best female referee while Niger’s Ibrahim Chamsou won the best male referee at the end of the Nigeria Open.
In other individual awards, Ifeoluwa Ajayi of Nigeria was named most valuable player in the men’s category while Bouma Coulibaly of Cote d’Ivoire was best in the women’s category.
The feats by Peter, Chamsou and Ajayi were part of a near-clean out of top prizes at the competition by the host country, as Nigeria won 10 medals to finish top overall.
Nigeria garnered nine gold and one bronze, while Benin Republic placed second with one gold and one silver, as Saudi Arabia and Taraba state got one gold and one silver each to finish joint-third.
Lagos State got one gold and three bronze to place fifth, while Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) both took home one gold medal each.
Those without a single gold medal were Niger Republic (three silver and seven bronze to place eight), Nigeria Army (two silver for ninth) and last on the table, Ghana, with one silver and two bronze for tenth position.
