Nigeria’s Paralympic bronze medallist, Eniola Bolaji, has advanced to the finals of the inaugural Abia Para Badminton International Tournament, taking place at the International Conference Centre in Umuahia.
Bolaji secured her spot in the final after defeating Cameroon’s Danyele Mouafo 2-0 (21-7, 21-3) in the women’s singles SL3 semi-finals on Saturday. She is currently ranked second in the world in the SL3 category by the Para World Badminton Federation.
The Nigerian star made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games by winning bronze in the SL3 event, becoming the first African athlete to achieve such a feat in para badminton.
In the men’s singles SL4 category, Nigeria’s Chigozie Nnanna also impressed, overcoming India’s Kuldeep Mahkul with a 2-0 (21-8, 21-16) victory. Nnanna, ranked number one in Africa in his class, previously became the first African to reach the quarter-finals at the 2024 Para Badminton World Championships in Thailand.
Nnanna later teamed up with Obinna Nwosu to defeat India’s Nilesh Gaikwad and Hemant 2-0 (21-12, 21-6) in the men’s doubles SL3-SL4 event, earning a place in the final.
Other semi-final highlights included Brazil’s Ana Reis defeating India’s Kanak Jaduan 2-0 (21-1, 21-2) in the women’s singles SL4, while Mikaela Almeida of Brazil beat India’s Arati Patil 2-0 (21-9, 21-14) in the women’s singles SU5 category.
Players from various nations, including Peru and India, secured places in the finals across 38 matches and 19 events.
A total of 114 athletes from 13 countries are participating in the historic tournament, which runs from September 30 to October 5. The competing nations include Brazil, India, Peru, Egypt, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, DR Congo, Mauritius, Mozambique, and host country Nigeria.
The competition will be followed by the All Africa Para Badminton Championship, scheduled for October 7 to 12 at the same venue.