All eyes will be on the French capital of Paris on July 26 for the opening ceremony of the 2024 summer Olympic Games.
Over 10,000 athletes from 206 countries will converge in the European city and Nigeria will have 90 athletes on parade in 12 sports discipline.
Nigeria have appeared in 16 Olympics since their debut appearance in 1952 and they have a total of 27 medals so far which include three gold, 11 silver and 13 bronze medals.
As we countdown to the opening ceremony at the Jardins du Trocadero by the River Seine, Afrosport ranks the best Nigerian athletes who have donned the country’s green and white colours at the Olympics.
1. Chioma Ajunwa
The retired Nigerian police officer and former Super Falcons player was the first African woman to win an Olympic gold medal in a field event and the first Nigerian to win an Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Games in Atlanta.
Ajunwa won the women’s long jump event in Atlanta with a leap of 7.12 metres on her first attempt in the final event.
2. Dream Team
Jo Bonfrere’s men won Nigeria’s maiden gold medal at the Olympics football event in 1996 after beating Argentina 3-2 in an epic final game in Atlanta.
The Dream Teams played in the football event in 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2016.
3. Falilat Ogunkoya
The Ogun State sports icon is one of the two Nigerian women to win double Olympic medals.
Ogunkoya won silver in the women’s 4x400m relay and bronze in the women’s 400m at Atlanta 1996.
Mary Onyali is the other woman to win double Olympic medals – bronze in women’s 4x100m at Barcelona 1992 and bronze in women’s 200m at Atlanta 1996.
4. Segun Toriola
Toriola was the first Nigerian athlete to make seven appearances at the Olympics.
The 50-year-old dominantly played in the men’s singles table-tennis event from 1992 to 2016 and his best finish was reaching the quarter-final at Beijing 2008.
5. Nojim Maiyegun
Maiyegun won Nigeria’s first-ever medal at the Olympics after finishing third in the men’s boxing event at Tokyo 1964 Games.
The Lagos-born boxer lost to France’s Joseph Gonzales in the semi-final of the light middleweight.
