Adekuoroye, her sister bag gold medals at African wrestling championship

Nigeria’s Odunayo Adekuoroye has claimed her seventh straight gold medal at the African wrestling championship in El Jadida, Morocco.

Adekuoroye, who moved up to the 59kg category, overcame Siwar Bouseta, her Tunisian opponent, 12-2 via superiority in the final on Saturday night.

The two-time Commonwealth games champions had earlier beaten Atika El Asla (12-1), Bouseta (11-0), and Congo’s Parfaite Mambou (10-0) in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, Mercy Adekuoroye, Odunayo’s younger sister, clinched her first senior title in the continent as well.

While leading 7-1 in the final, Mercy who competed in the 53kg category, pinned Ivorian Nogona Bakayoko to win 9-1 and bolster the family’s legacy in the sport.

In the 55kg weight category, Jumoke Adekoye – who won gold earlier this month at the Governor Diri National Wrestling Classics – handed Nigeria a 4th gold medal, with three round-robin wins against Morocco’s Zineb Hassoune (11-0), Fateh Hammami of Tunisia (13-2) and Louji Yassin of Egypt (10-0).

It was also her first African title at the senior level.

African champion Hannah Reuben, who recently moved up to 76kg, however, settled for silver after losing 5-1 to title-holder Samar Hamza of Egypt in the final.

Similarly, Nigeria’s Patience Opuene also won silver in the 62kg class after losing to veteran and Olympic bronze-medallist Marwa Amri of Tunisia, who claimed a record 12th continental title in a row.