All hail the glorious Paralympians

Team Nigeria returned home from the Rio 2016 Paralympics last Sunday as the best African nation at the just concluded games. The team won eight gold medals, two silver and two bronze medals. It also set six new world records.  Nigeria was placed 16th on the medals table, which was our best ever placement in […]

Team Nigeria returned home from the Rio 2016 Paralympics last Sunday as the best African nation at the just concluded games. The team won eight gold medals, two silver and two bronze medals. It also set six new world records.  Nigeria was placed 16th on the medals table, which was our best ever placement in the Paralympics medals table. Our best previous performance was when we placed 22nd on the medals table in Sydney 2000.
This feat, as sparkling and heart warming as it was, was not altogether surprising because Nigeria has always performed rather well at the Paralympic Games. Nigerian Paralympians’ Rio performance was not an accidental discharge but a culmination of talent, determination and planning. These three qualities coalesced brilliantly for Team Nigeria in Rio, pushing a squad of 22 athletes to scale greater heights.
Having left Nigeria for Rio de Janeiro without any fanfare and hot on the heels of another woeful Olympics outing, the physically-challenged athletes lifted the nation’s spirits high in Rio and surpassed all expectations, breaking more records than ever; those set by others and even by themselves.
In Rio, Team Nigeria made their intentions clear from the onset. Nigeria celebrated a gold and silver medal when Roland Ezuruike won the 54kg power lifting event in an astonishing manner. On the other hand, Latifat Tijani won a silver medal when she lifted 106kg in the 45kg category and Esther Oyema added another silver medal in the women’s power-lifting -55kg category.
From then on, it was medals and world records galore for Nigeria as shot putter Lauritta Onye smashed the world record with her fourth round 8.40 throw. The 32 year-old athlete dominated the event to win gold, giving Nigeria its first track and field medal. Following Onye’s trail was power-lifter Josephine Orji, who also shattered the world record of the women’s -+86kg power-lifting event with a lift of 154 kg to win the gold medal.
Another world record breaker was Flora Ugwunwa who won the women’s javelin throw event. With a throw of 20.25m, Ugwunwa set a new world record. Team Nigeria’s captain, Lucy Ejike, also broke the Paralympics and world record three successive times to win the women’s -61kg event in power-lifting. Her team mate Bose Omolayo also joined the party as she eclipsed her own world record and set a new one of 138kg to win a gold medal. Other impressive performers include Paul Kehinde, who gave Nigeria her second gold medal of the Games in the -65kg men’s category, lifting 218kg.
These special athletes have again achieved what their counterparts that competed at Rio Olympics could not do. However, the Paralympians have not been given the much required ovation in past years, even as they have not relented in their efforts at making the country proud. It will be unfair if plans are not made to honour these athletes. We are all aware of the shoddy preparations for the games but despite these, they have gone on to put up superlative performances, which have technically secured the nation’s best outing ever at the Paralympics. President Muhammadu Buhari and the Sports Ministry should do everything possible to adequately reward these heroes, especially when it is considered that they had little or no motivation from those who were supposed to prepare them for the competition. They showed the whole world that we can rise above our adversity to rub shoulders with the best in the world in any endeavour.
We urge the federal and state governments to pay more attention to special sports which has remained the country’s saving grace at international competitions. We also implore President Buhari to adequately reward these athletes and ensure the country uses their success story to re-awaken the can do spirit of Nigerians in this harsh economic climate.