By Olalekan Okusan
After edging out some of the best fighters in the world at the just concluded Poland Open Ranking Series in Warsaw, Nigeria’s Odunayo Adekuoroye has been tipped as a potential gold medalist at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Japan.
From her first-round fight against European runner-up Tetyana Kit of Belarus, Odunayo known as “The Dancing Queen,” won the bout by 10-0 of Victory by technical superiority (VSU) and was set up against Rio Olympic champion American Helen Maroulis and true to her form, Adekuoroye was absolutely phenomenal against her experienced opponent.
According to the world wrestling body, United World Wrestling (UWW), Adekuoroye in a dash of explosive power, she scored two four-point throws and two takedowns combined with a point for Maroulis’ passivity to win the bout 13-0.
The Nigerian had lost to the American twice before, 6-6 in 2015 and 4-1 in 2018, but on Friday, June 11, the American had no answer to her attacks.
“There were no singing celebrations but those may be reserved after the final but Adekuoroye announced herself as a serious contender for the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and stir up the storm,” UWW predicted.
After the winning the crucial fight, Adekuoroye said: “I had been waiting to wrestle Maroulis and I was planning a lot for this.”