Nigeria’s Blessing Oborududu suffered a painful defeat in a challenging semi-final bout in the women’s 68kg wrestling event at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Oborududu lost to Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova, who clinched victory with a 3-1 win on points.
The Nigerian wrestler, who had earlier impressed in the quarter-final stage by defeating her French opponent Koumba Larroque with a commanding 6-2 victory, struggled to gain momentum after clashing heads with Zhumanazarova.
This incident affected her performance in the second half of the match, making it difficult for her to recover and turn the bout in her favour.
Despite this setback, all hope is not lost. Oborududu remains a strong contender and will return to the mat to contest for a bronze medal, keeping Nigeria’s hopes for a podium finish alive.