Nigerian Olympic silver medallist Blessing Oborududu will end her storied wrestling career at the 2024 National Sports Festival in Ogun State, the Nigerian Wrestling Federation has confirmed.
The 36-year-old will make her final appearance at the Obafemi Awolowo Civic Centre in Ikenne, one of the venues for the 22nd edition of the event.
Wrestling began on Monday with the Greco-Roman category, while Oborududu and the women’s freestyle wrestlers start their competitions today.
Fittingly, her career comes full circle in Ogun, where she first competed at the National Sports Festival during the Gateway Games in 2006.
Since then, Oborududu has become a dominant force in African wrestling, winning gold at every National Sports Festival she entered after 2006—Kaduna 2009, Rivers 2011, Lagos 2012, Abuja 2018, Edo 2021, and Delta 2022.
Internationally, she holds 12 African Championship titles and made history at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by becoming Nigeria’s first wrestling medallist, claiming silver in the women’s 68kg freestyle category.
“Her name resonates throughout Africa and beyond,” said the federation. “Blessing Oborududu is leaving a legacy that will be easily remembered.”
