Nigeria have harvested three medals – a gold, two silver, and a bronze – to remain triumphant in the Tecqball events at the ongoing second African Beach Games in Hammamet, Tunisia.
For five exciting days, Nigeria showcased their skills and determination, securing an impressive haul of medals.
The competition is being held at Yasmine Beach in the Tourism city of Hammamet, Tunis.
The Tecqball team, led by Nigeria’s top player, Victor Oyemade, currently ranked 32nd in the world, claimed a well-deserved gold medal along with two silver medals and a bronze.
The gold came from mixed doubles, and two silver medals from men’s doubles and singles. Esther Toko contributed the bronze medal from the Rowing event.
Coach Abdul Bajeh of Tecqball believes his key player, Oyemade lost his singles event’s gold to a neighbouring Cameroonian, who was more experienced.
Despite preparing well, Oyemade settled for a silver medal as the Cameroonian had more exposure and won the gold. The nicking point is that has qualified for the World Beach Games in Bali, Tunisia.
Bajeh explained that Oyemade could not reproduce his strength in smashing due to the adverse high wind speed.
This outstanding performance highlights Nigeria’s growing prowess in the sport and serves as a tremendous source of pride for the nation.
Nigeria also has outstanding matches in volleyball, where it will play ranking matches against Niger, Burundi, Chad, and Botswana.
The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) Secretary-General, Tunde Poopola praised Team Nigeria for their sterling performance.
‘’We need to invest more in the sports but I must observe that we have so far performed relatively well within the short period we were introduced to the sport”, he said
The NOC’s Deputy Secretary General, Mohammed Abdullahi noted that Nigeria made it firmly to the podium, with more than 20 countries not making it to the medals table.
He emphasised the need to raise awareness about Beach events since they are easier for the youthful population to understand.
There are still outstanding games like tennis, badminton, and swimming where Nigeria could win medals.
The current Games are qualifying events ahead of the ANOC World Games to be held in Bali, Indonesia from 4th to 12th August.
