BAKU 2017: Oborududu, Adekuoroye begin campaign on Sunday

By Akeem Lawal

SEVEN-time Africa champion, Blessing Oborududu and three-time Africa champion, Odunayo Adekuoroye will take to the mat on Sunday in the female freestyle wrestling event of the ongoing Baku 2017 4th lslamic Solidarity Games, Sportsbiz247.blogspot.com reports.

Both Oborududu and Adekuoroye were among the female wresters that won gold to emerge the overall champions at the 2017 Senior African Wrestling championships held in Marrakech, Morocco late last month.

Oborududu, a two time Olympian will face six fierce female wrestlers in the 63Kg, while Adekuoroye, also an Olympian will battle four opponents in the 55kg.

The wrestling team is led by Shittu Adewale from Osun State.

Adekuoroye with Adewale and Oborududu at the Games

Nigeria is placed 27^th on the medals table with three silver and a bronze medal.

Nathaniel Glory Onome won the country’s first medal having finished second in the Women’s 400m Hurdles event.

She posted a time of 55.90secs way behind the gold medalist, Adekoya Oluwakemi, who though is Nigerian-born but now competes for Bahrain.

The 4th Islamic Solidarity Games is a multinational, multi-sport event taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan from May 12 to 22.

Previously the event has been held in Saudi Arabia in 2005 and Indonesia in 2013.

The second event, originally scheduled to take place in October 2009 in Iran, was later re-scheduled but then cancelled.

The Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) is responsible for the direction and control of the Islamic Solidarity Games.

A total of 56 countries are competing in 21 sports disciplines in Baku and Nigeria is one of the debutants.