Nigeria in Paralympics - Hall of Fame
Nigerians Paralympic athlete have made remarkable and outstanding performances in this game, they have won various medals which ranges from gold to silver and bronze and is one of the countries of the world that has won the most medals and awards in the game of Paralympics. Below are some of Nigeria Paralympians including past and current players who have made the nation proud with their achievements.
Ivory Nwokorie
(MON) is a Nigerian female powerlifting athlete. She won a gold medal when she competed for Nigeria at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, England featuring in the 44kg weight class female category placing 1st in the game. She was awarded a member of the Order of the Niger and a five million Naira by the government alongside each of the other gold medalists for their achievement.
Nwokorie was banned from competing from 19 April 2013 to 18 April 2015 with a fine of EUR 1,500 at the 5th Fazaa International Powerlifting Competition after she was tested positive for Furosemide thereby violating the anti-doping rule.
Adeoye Ajibola is a Nigerian Paralympics Hero who has made history in category TS4 sprint event. This male athlete has engaged in various sports activities right from her secondary school days. He is the first child in a family of six. He won two gold medals after competing in the 100m-TS4 and 200m-TS4 event at the 1992 Summer Paralympics Game in Barcelona. This champion athlete did not stop there as he breaks the world record by winning two gold medals and one silver medal in the 100m-T45-46, 200m-T45-46 and long jump-F45-46 at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta.
Joy Onaolapo
Was born in the year 1963 in Edo State is a former Nigerian professional Paralympic weightlifter. She won a gold medal for Nigeria at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London featuring in the 52-kilogram power-lifting in women’s category. She is among the Paralympic athletes who made Nigeria proud at the games but died the same year in her home at Edo State.
Lucy Ogechukwu Ejike
Is a world record holder in Paralympics Game born on 16 October 1977. She has represented Nigeria in five Paralympics Game winning medals in each. She competed for Nigeria in the 44 kg weight class at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Game in Sidney, Australia winning a gold medal with a lift of 102.5 Kg.
At the 2004 Athens Games, She competed in the same 44 Kg weight class winning a gold medal with a lift of 127.5 Kg. She moved up one class winning a gold medal in the 48 Kg event at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Beijing, China with a lift of 125 Kg on her first attempt, 130 Kg on her second attempt but loosed strength on her third attempt with a lift of 137.5 Kg.
Ejike aimed at setting a new world record game by moving up another weight class in her third attempt which she took up the beat at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London in the 56kg event but was overthrown by her opponent Fatma Omar who is a 56kg world record holder with a lift of 142 Kg while Ejike finished with a lift of 135 Kg placing 2nd with a silver medal. She was the flag bearer for Nigeria at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Game in Rio de Janeiro and also won a gold medal in the women’s 61 kg division with a final lift of 142 Kg making her a three-time gold medal winner.
Josephine Orji
Is a record holder powerlifter who represents Nigeria in Paralympic Games with her professional skills. She was born on 8 April 1979. She competed in the women’s +86kg category at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Brazil winning the 8th gold medal for Nigeria with a lift of 156kg.
Roland Ezuruike
Is professional powerlifting athlete in Nigeria that has set a record in Paralympics Game. He was born on May 5, 1976, in Obowo, Imo State. He had participated in many games and has recorded outstanding victories. He represented Nigeria in the men’s 72 Kg event at the 2014 Commonwealth games winning a silver medal. He also won gold in the 2015 section of the African Games competing in the men’s 54Kg category.
At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, he scaled heights in the men’s 54kg category with a lift of 200kg which earned him a gold medal and he also won a gold medal in the lightweight powerlifting men’s category at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Laurita Onye
Also known as (Laury White) is a Nigerian Paralympics athlete born on January 4, 1984 in Owerri, Imo State. She was born with a genetic disorder called Achondroplasia. Onye aspires to be an actress outside of athletics of which she has featured in one of Nollywood 2015 movie titled Lords of Money bearing the name Laury White but her physique has been a challenge to her in the industry and that she is not being respected in the society.
She specializes mainly in F40 throwing events and took up the game of athletics in the year 2008. She represented Nigeria at the 2015 World Championship in Doha and won a gold award in the F40 shot-put women’s category.
Laurita broke the world's record and was recognized as a champion when she competed in the F40 shot-put event at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro winning a gold medal for Nigeria with a lift of 8.40m.
Adekunle Adesoji
He is a virtually impaired track and field athlete from Nigeria that features mainly in the men’s category T12 events. He represented Nigeria in the 100m-T12 race at the 2002 Commonwealth Games winning a gold medal at a run of 10.76 seconds and also in the 2006 Commonwealth Games winning a gold medal too.
He competed at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, where he set a world record in 100m-T12 event with a run of 10.75 seconds winning a gold medal in the game.
In the year 2008, he also represented Nigeria and won a silver medal in the men’s 100m-T12 event in the 2008 Summer Paralympics which was held in Beijing, China and was also placed fourth in the 200m category.
Eucharia Njideka Iyiazi
A Nigerian professional Paralympian athlete that specializes mainly in category F5/58 shot-put and discus throw events. She has represented Nigeria at five consecutive Paralympics Game winning a total of five medals which comprises two gold, silver and two bronze medals.
She emerged as a champion at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China where she competed in the women’s shot-put F57/F58 winning gold and also in women’s discus throw F57/F58 game-winning again a gold medal.
She won a bronze medal in the women’s Javelin throw F56-58 category at the 2004 Summer Paralympics game in Athens, Greece. She won a bronze medal again in the discus throw- F57 event at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
At the last held 2016 Summer Paralympics Game, she competed in the discus throw-F57 event winning a bronze medal too.
Grace Anozie
Nigerian Paralympics athlete who has recorded victories and laurels in powerlifting. She was born in the year 1977 and got paralyzed at the age of two from polio. She studied accounting in the university and finished in the year 1998 but couldn’t lay her hand on any job which made her take up sports career.
She competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics game and finished fourth in the 82.5 Kg event but that didn’t make her lose focus as she kept pushing through. She won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Beijing competing in the +82.5 Kg event.
Grace kept participating and representing Nigeria Paralympics hoping that one day she will surely return to her country home with a gold medal. In the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China she won a silver medal in the +82.5 Kg and a gold medal at the 2012 Paralympics in London.
She has outside of Paralympics Game won gold medals at the 2012 Fazza International Powerlifting Championships in the 82.5 kg category and the 2013 Powerlifting Asian Open Championship in the 86 Kg event.
Loveline Obiji
A skilful and multi-talented Nigerian powerlifter born 11 September in the year 1990 in Umueze Anam. She has competed in many Games as a powerlifter and has participated in the women’s +61 Kg event at the 2014 Commonwealth Games winning a gold medal in the competition. She is the fourth female Nigerian to win a gold medal in the Paralympic Games.
She won team Nigeria’s fifth gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Game in London competing in the women’s 82.5 Kg event with a lift of 145kg points beating her oppositions with all most ten point in winning the gold medal. At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, she won a gold medal in the 86kg category but was overthrown by an Egyptian Paralympic powerlifter named Randa Mahmoud with her last lift in the game of which the gold was given to her and Loveline later took the silver.
Kehinde Paul
He is a world record holder in powerlifting who competes for Nigeria. He was born on July 7, 1988, in Lagos Nigeria. He claims gold medals in the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow competing in the 72 Kg men’s category and 2017 Powerlifting World Championships in Mexico City competing in the 65 Kg.
He also competed for Nigeria at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro and won a gold medal in the 65 Kg category of the competition. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold coast, he won a silver medal in lightweight category event.
