Nigeria Claims Three Gold Medals in Stellar African Taekwondo Championship Run

Team Nigeria has delivered an exceptional performance at the 2026 African Taekwondo Championships in Bamako, Mali, securing an impressive haul of three gold medals, one silver, and four bronze medals.

The continental tournament, which ran from 30 May to 2 June, was highly competitive, featuring elite fighters from more than 35 countries, including several world and Olympic champions. Despite the formidable opposition, the 11-strong Nigerian contingent successfully made its mark on the medals table.

The nation's golden campaign was spearheaded by Akwa Ibom-born para-athlete Ability Matthews Udom. Competing in the women’s K44 -57kg category, the top-ranked fighter secured Nigeria's opening gold medal. Reflecting on her milestone victory, Udom expressed her pride, noting that her success proved the adage that there is indeed "ability in disability."

Nigeria's golden tally was further bolstered by dominant performances in the Poomsae (demonstration forms) events:

• Haruna Usman claimed gold to become the champion in the Under-40 Male Poomsae division.
• Faridah Aderibigbe secured the third gold medal for the country with a victory in the Under-30 Female Freestyle Poomsae category.

Alongside the golden trio, several Nigerian athletes fought their way onto the lower steps of the podium. UK-based heavyweight Jordan Joel, making his debut at the African Championships, showed immense bravery by battling past multiple Olympic and world medalists to claim a well-deserved bronze in the +87kg Kyorugi (sparring) event.

Further bronze medals were won by 2024 African Games medallist Chidinma Okoko (women’s -62kg division) and Salawudeen Abdulafeez (Under-30 Male Poomsae). Abdulafeez later teamed up with Aderibigbe to clinch another bronze in the Pair Poomsae event, bringing Nigeria's total medal count to eight.

Tayo Popoola, President of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation, highly commended the squad’s resilience in what she described as a grueling and intensely demanding tournament. She highlighted that many competing nations had flown in massive squads of up to 30 athletes, making Nigeria's multi-medal achievement even more commendable.

Popoola extended her gratitude to the National Sports Commission for its backing and reiterated the federation's steadfast commitment to giving homegrown athletes more international exposure in the future.