Nigeria’s Opeyori maintains invincibility in African badminton

The meteoric rise and invincibility of Nigeria’s Anuoluwapo Opeyori in the game of badminton came to the fore once again as he cemented his dominance by becoming the only player to win five African Championship titles in the men’s singles category; and four times consecutively. He won his first title in 2019 and has remained […]

The meteoric rise and invincibility of Nigeria’s Anuoluwapo Opeyori in the game of badminton came to the fore once again as he cemented his dominance by becoming the only player to win five African Championship titles in the men’s singles category; and four times consecutively. He won his first title in 2019 and has remained unmatched since 2022.

The latest title in his bag, hurled after a landslide victory over Egyptian Adham Hatem Elgamal (21-7, 23-21) in Gymnase de Japoma, Douala in Cameroon proved Opeyori’s dominance in the continent and positioned him ahead of Eddy Clarisse of Mauritius, who won the title in 1992, 1994 and 1998.

Opeyori’s record has also surpassed other notable players who have won the gold medal multiple times. They include Nabil Lasmari of Algeria, Nigeria’s Jinkamn Ifraimu and Jacob Maliekal of South Africa, with three wins from 2012 to 2014, as well as Julien Paul of Mauritius, who won in 2018 and 2020.

The lanky fair-complexion player began to pull the string of surprises on the continent in 2019 when he defeated his counterpart, Godwin Olufua in an intense encounter, 21-17, 16-21 and 21-17 to win the gold medal which announced his arrival.

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However, he could not defend his title as he lost to Julien Paul of Mauritius 21-16, 16-21 and 21-23 in the following edition in 2020 to settle for silver medal. 

Since 2020, Opeyori’s return to the court has witnessed winning streaks, hurling four gold medals consecutively. In 2022, he defeated Brian Kasirye of Uganda 21-14, 23-21 to claim his second title, just as he pounced on Julien Paul of Mauritius on a revenge mission to grab his third and fourth titles respectively.

Opeyori’s recent victory in Cameroon has cemented his position as the greatest badminton player in Africa in modern history, as he continues to prove in words and deeds that his best is yet to come.

 

Talent, discipline, key to my success – Opeyori

In an interview with Weekend Trust, Opeyori attributed his sterling performance on the court to talent nurtured by discipline, adding that he maintains focus and approaches each game dutifully.   

“I would say it is my talent in the field and discipline. Also focusing on one event is very crucial. It is an incredible feeling winning my fifth title and I feel elated for such an excellent performance and achievement. I am happy and grateful,” he enthused.

Speaking on the tough nature of his last three finals against Paul of Mauritius compared to Egypt’s Elgama, Opeyori admitted that his previous encounters in the final against Paul had been strenuous, while describing his latest final against the Egyptian as a herculean task. 

“Yes, playing against Paul has always been very intense and strenuous. I will add that playing against Adham is also not an easy fixture as he is a diehard player. They were both competitive,” he said.

 

Opeyori relives Paris 2024 Olympics

Despite his continental dominance and being the only Nigerian badminton player to qualify for the Olympics twice, Opeyori, who exited early from the group-stage in the men’s single in the Paris 2024 Olympics, narrated his experiences, describing it as a difficult moment for him.

“Playing at the Olympics is not easy. We strived to win but that was the best we could do at that period,” he said.

Recalling his matches in Paris, Opeyori, who served as Team Nigeria’s captain and joint-flag bearer, identified his opponents’ preparation and better exposure as his impediment.

“Preparation was the key. For Tobias, it was a string of luck while Li Shi Feng was a better and more elite player. He has resources as a Chinese athlete and good badminton career upbringing; that is the case here,” he said.

The African badminton champion stressed that the provision of adequate training, facilities, tour and grants would aid him to prepare better and take the world by storm.

“Appropriate training like long term foreign exposure or creating a suitable training camp for Nigerians here, where top players and good coaches will be there to improve the athletes and bring a foreign coach with experience to brush up the coach and the athletes will help a great deal,” he added 

He expressed faith in his scholarship to train at the renowned Yonex Peter Gade Academy in Denmark, saying it would offer him exposure ahead of future competitions.

It would be recalled that after his latest victory, he was awarded a prestigious scholarship to train at the renowned badminton academy in Denmark.

“Peter Gade is a well known legend in the game, so training with him will expose me to more badminton insights and also spar with athletes across the world,” he said.

 

Jinkam, Grace Daniel commend Anu, point way forward

In a chat with Weekend Trust Sports, retired badminton players and Olympians, Jinkam Ifraimu and Grace Daniel, commended Nigeria’s dominance in the continent. They, however, expressed disappointment over the inability to replicate the success on the global stage. 

“Badminton has made Nigeria proud for a very long time. We have ruled Africa and Anuoluwapo has taken over and that is a good one. We have set the records and I don’t think any African country can break the record so easily. 

“Going to the Olympics is our problem because we need some players playing abroad so that they would have professional training and acquire the Asian patterns of play. Badminton is a game that requires skills and energy,” Jinkam said.

The Taraba State-born badminton star identified lack of sponsorship as part of the challenges confronting the game of badminton, saying a lot of players struggle with finances to get foreign exposure.

“There is what we call home training and training tours. Training tours help you to build your confidence. In terms of strength, Africa has more energy, but they have less skills and technique. In Asia and Europe, they do more of skills and techniques, so we need those skills and techniques to add to the strength.

“The government should write to the airlines for a discount for any athlete leaving Nigeria to have a training tour in any other country. This will allow sportsmen to have the opportunity to travel and come back. There’s a need for a partnership between the National Sports Commission and Ministry of Aviation,” he said.

He also urged Nigerian badminton coaches to enroll for refresher courses, saying they need to be abreast with the latest techniques.

“Asians and Europeans are coming up with different kinds of styles. So, Nigerian coaches should go for at least a three-month refresher course,” he said.

Speaking in the same vein, Nigeria’s most successful women’s badminton player, Grace Daniel, hailed Anuoluwapo for his outstanding accomplishments in the continent but advocated more attention to be paid to the development of female players. She observed that male players get more attention than their female counterparts.

“When we get foreign coaches to train the girls, they will learn things from them. That was the thing that really helped me during my time because when I stayed in Germany, there were Chinese and European coaches who taught us so many things, which I wouldn’t have known here in Nigeria,” she said.

She expressed concern over the decline in the performances of Nigeria’s female badminton players after she and her teammates retired from the sport.

“They are trying, but the performance of female players is very poor. I don’t think anybody is happy about it, including me. I think that after Susan, Grace took over, and after that, I have not seen anyone again.

“I think we need to groom more young female badminton players that would come up again. Back in the days, female players performed better, but now, they are all lagging behind. Maybe they lack exposure or they don’t get to go for more tournaments,” she said.