2018 World Wrestling Championship: Adekuoroye bundled out, Adeniyi in race for medal

Nigeria’s medal hope at the ongoing 2018 Budapest World Wrestling Championship in Hungary seems to be fading each day as two-time medalist – Odunayo Adekuoroye was bundled out in the round of 16 while Aminat Adeniyi is still in the race for possible bronze medal in the 62kg of women freestyle event.

It was indeed a firework in the women’s 57kg as Azerbaijan’s Alyona Kolesnik stunned reigning world and Olympic champion United States’ Helen Maroulis, earning a second-period fall.

Kolesnik held a narrow 2-2 lead on criteria early in the second period when Maroulis shot a single leg, which was stopped. Maroulis immediately followed up another attack, which Kolesnik stuffed and ran the American over for the fall. Maroulis, who did not surrender a point at last year’s World Championships in Paris, was eliminated from the tournament when Kolesnik lost by technical fall (10-0) to China’s Ningning Rong in her next match. Maroulis has seen limited action this year due to a head injury.

Maroulis’ loss was not the only surprising result at 57kg, as Nigeria’s Adekuoroye, a returning world silver medalist in 55kg, fell to India’s Pooja Dhanda 7-6 prior to the quarterfinal round. Adekuoroye led 6-5 with 10 seconds remaining before getting taken down in the closing seconds to lose the match.

In the 62kg, Adeniyi fought well from the first stage before beaten by an Olympic Champion but she remaisn the only Nigerian in the race for possible bronze medal.

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For the President of Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali, the defeat to Adekuoroye was unfortunate. “I want to say that nothing went wrong in the tie against Pooja of India. They had wrestled twice earlier this year at 1-1. Adekuoroye was leading 6-5 with 10 seconds left before giving up two points take-down. I think it is a lesson for all the wrestlers. We move on from here to our preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” Igali said.