South Africa: African Games - South Africa Overtakes Nigeria On Medals Table

African Games Accra 2023
Egypt at the African Games Accra 2023.
14 March 2024
Premium Times (Abuja)
By Tunde Eludini

While Team Nigeria added three silver and four bronze medals, it wasn't enough to maintain their second-place position.

Team Nigeria has dropped to third place in the medal standings at the ongoing African Games after failing to secure any new gold medals on Wednesday.

While they added three silver and four bronze medals, it wasn't enough to maintain their second-place position.

South Africa now occupies that spot with 77 medals (22 gold, 22 silver, and 33 bronze).

Nigeria follows closely behind with 55 medals (22 gold, 13 silver, and 20 bronze).

Algeria remains hot on their heels in fourth place with 81 medals (21 gold, 27 silver, and 33 bronze).

Egypt continues to dominate the overall standings with a commanding lead of 115 medals (65 gold, 27 silver, and 23 bronze).

Meanwhile, the host nation, Ghana, has fallen further down to 14th place with just five medals (1 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze).

It's important to understand how the medal table is ranked.

The primary factor is the number of gold medals a country wins, followed by silver, and then the total medal count.

Nigerian MMA fighters shine

Although Nigeria didn't add to their gold medal tally on Wednesday, they performed well in the non-scoring Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament.

MMA is a demonstration sport at the 2023 African Games, meaning medals awarded here don't contribute to the official standings.

However, this doesn't diminish the impressive performance of Nigerian fighters who secured five gold medals:

Eweh Emmanuel Benard (65.8kg Men) defeated Nortey William Adom (Ghana) via TKO (Round 2).

Idowu Busayo Khadijat (52.2kg Women) defeated Boakye Elizabeth (Ghana) via Unanimous Decision.

Sodiq Olanike Rasheeda (61.2kg Women) defeated Rassool Bibi Oumee Hanee Meherin (Mauritius) via Unanimous Decision.

Eze Daniel Emeke (83.9kg Men) defeated Houssou Michael Mahugnon (Benin) via Unanimous Decision.

Obanla Joy Ebanda (65.8kg Women) defeated Abubakari Winnie (Ghana) via TKO (Round 1).

Even if it does not improve the fortunes of Nigeria on the medals table, these victories showcase the strength of the country's MMA fighters.

It also offers promise for future games when the sport gains full recognition.

Read the original article on Premium Times.

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