Odunayo Adekuoroye
Adekuoroye has almost singlehandedly rebranded the game of Wrestling in Nigeria and has become a household name on the continent and world at large due to sheer tenacity, confidence, dedication and consistency in her craft. Adekuoroye is currently ranked No.1 in Africa in the women’s 53kg category, and No.3 in the world. She was Nigeria’s first qualifier for Rio 2016 in Wrestling after winning a Bronze medal at the 2015 Wrestling World Championships in Las Vegas.
In 2015, Adekuoroye plied her trade at the Indian Pro Wrestling League, and her singing and dancing skills, especially after bouts, won her lots of fans in India. At the end of the year, she was adjudged the Best Woman Wrestler in India. She will be going to Rio as Nigeria’s brightest prospect for a medal following her feats at the 2014 Commonwealth Games where she won a Gold medal. She also won another Gold medal at the 2016 African Wrestling Championships in Egypt.
Her growing prominence is not restricted to Nigeria alone. Adekuoroye was featured on the July edition of Forbes Africa Magazine, where she shared the cover with the likes of South Africa’s 400m World Champion, Wayde Van Niekerk and Kenyan Javelin thrower, Julius Yego, also a World Champion. The Rio Olympics will be Adekuoroye’s first outing at the Games.
