Coach tells of pride in Nigeria's historic para badminton bronze

Paul Myers

2 September 2024 at 12:19 pm·1-min read

Nigeria-born Mariam Eniola Bolaji and her Spanish coach were celebrating the athlete's bronze medal success in the para badminton on Tuesday – a first for an African player.

"You know, I'm so proud," Dina Abouzeid beamed. "I'm so proud of the day I said to Mariam: 'Let's go for it.'"

In the relief and glow of Bolaji's bronze, Abouzeid was finally able to take stock of an 11-month tour de force in which she has taken a promising Nigerian teenager from the hurly burly of regional scuffles via a club in northern Spain to the podium at the Paris Paralympics.

Abouzeid can also boast the honour of guiding Africa's first player to brandish a medal from a badminton tournament at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games.

Admittedly, badminton doesn't have an epic heritage at the Games. It was introduced into the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992 and the Paralympics in Tokyo three years ago.

And it was in the prelude to that meeting in Japan that Bolaji suffered yet another bludgeon to her young life.

Nigeria wins Africa's first Paralympic medal in badminton

Marked by loss

Bolaji was inspired to pursue para badminton under the aegis of Bello Rafiu Oyebanji, her Nigerian coach who died in a traffic accident in the April before the Tokyo Games.

"I think she has struggled so much in life that now, it seems like it is coming good. I think it's fair enough," said Abouzeid.

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Marked by loss

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