Despite the participation of 88 participants in 12 different sports, Nigeria’s Paris 2024 Olympics campaign has officially ended with no medals. Team Nigeria’s result matched the country’s dismal performance at the 2012 London Olympics, where it failed to win a medal.
Senator John Enoh, Minister of Sports, characterised the team’s performance as a “disaster” and promised to prevent similar failures in the future. Despite Nigeria’s lack of medals, athletes of Nigerian descent received medals during the Games.
Here are five Nigerian athletes who won medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics:
Yemisi Ogunleye
Germany’s Yemisi Ogunleye won the gold medal in the women’s shot put at the Paris Olympics on Friday, throwing 20.00m on her final attempt. Ogunleye’s triumph made her the first German to win the shot put event in 28 years, since the Atlanta 1996 Olympics.
Ogunleye was born in Germany to a Nigerian father from Ekiti and a German mother. Following her victory, Ogunleye acknowledged her diverse background in a viral video and performed a Yoruba gospel song.
Annette Echikunwoke
Echikunwoke is the only athlete on this list who previously represented Nigeria but chose to represent the United States following her disqualification at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She was unable to compete in the hammer throw at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics because the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) did not conduct the requisite drug tests for participants.
The 28-year-old holds the African hammer throwing record and won a silver medal in the women’s hammer throw at the Olympics. The Washington Post cited her as saying, “I’m glad it’s happening now.” Everything happens for a purpose, whether it be awful, good, or ugly. But it’s gorgeous.”
Samu Omorodion
The 20-year-old attacker, born in Melilia, Spain, to Nigerian parents, is expected to join Premier League club Chelsea from Atletico Madrid, according to football transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano.
Omorodion was part of the Spanish team that overcame host France 5-3 in extra time to earn Olympic gold in men’s football. He only scored once in the competition, a 2-1 loss to Egypt in the group round.
Salwa Eid Naser
The Nigerian-born sprinter finished second for Bahrain in the 400m women’s event at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She finished in 48.53 seconds, trailing Dominican Republic’s Marileidy Paulino, who set a new Olympic record time of 48.17 seconds. The 26-year-old originally known as Ebelechukwu Agbapuonwu was born in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Michael Olise
Bayern Munich’s latest signing Olise was a member of France’s silver medal winning men’s football squad. Olise was born in England to a Nigerian father and a Franco-Algerian mother. Richard, his younger brother, plays for the English club Chelsea FC.
