By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
Nigeria’s female boxers clinched three gold medals and one silver at the 2026 African Elite Men’s and Women’s Boxing Championships in Nairobi, Kenya, delivering an impressive comeback for the country on the women’s finals day.
Ajishola Khadijat opened Nigeria’s gold-medal account with a commanding 5–0 unanimous decision victory over Algeria’s Malak Noir E. in the women’s 51–54kg category.
Precious Anine followed with Nigeria’s second gold medal, defeating Algeria’s Benane Djouher in the women’s 60–65kg final.
Team captain Blessing Orakwe produced the standout performance of the evening, knocking out Kenya’s Akinyi Elizabeth in the first round of the women’s 75–80kg final to secure Nigeria’s third gold.
Patricia Mbata completed Nigeria’s medal haul with silver in the women’s 70–75kg category after losing 3–2 to Egypt’s Aboelfead Nabila in a closely contested final.
The National Sports Commission (NSC), in a statement signed by its Director General’s Special Assistant on Media, Kola Daniel, on Friday, described the performance as a remarkable turnaround following earlier disappointments at the championships.
The statement said the Nigerian team demonstrated resilience and determination to finish the women’s finals with four medals.
It also noted that the results vindicated the confidence of the technical crew, including Cross River State head coach, Mary Obo Ekpo, who had predicted that Nigeria would return from the competition with multiple medals.
The leadership of the Nigeria Boxing Federation, led by President Adebayo Olawale Edun and Vice President Omonlei Yakubu, also celebrated the boxers’ achievements.
The commission said the performance signalled renewed promise for Nigerian boxing, with the female athletes restoring national pride through their impressive showing in Nairobi.
