Nigerian wrestler Blessing Oborududu’s quest for a first-ever Olympic gold medal came to an end on Monday night after she lost her semifinal bout to Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova in the women’s freestyle 68 kg wrestling category at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Oborududu, who earlier in the day saw off Canada’s Linda Morais and France’s Koumba Larouque, respectively, before booking a semifinal berth, lost 3-1 on points to Zhumanazarova, who is ranked No. 2 in the world.
The Nigerian couldn’t find her form against the Kyrgyz, and a clash of heads in the opening part of the fight didn’t help her performance.
Oborodudu, in her third Olympics, will fail to better the silver medal she won at the Tokyo 2020 Games. However, the 35-year-old will be presented with the opportunity to clinch a bronze medal and become a multiple Olympic medal winner when she competes in the third-place bout on Tuesday.
