Nigeria’s First Olympics medalist, Maiyegun Dies @ 84

Nigeria’s pioneering medalist at the Olympic Games, Nojim Maiyegun, has reportedly passed on at the age of 84.

Born on 17th February 1941 in Lagos, Maiyegun achieved a historic feat for Nigeria by winning a bronze medal in the men’s Light Middleweight (71 kg) category at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

The remarkable feat saw the prize-pugilist earning a place in the country’s Sports Hall of Fame and his subsequent bronze medal at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, also inspired generations of Nigerian athletes.

The death of the popular boxer, who had a Lagos street named after him, is coming less than a month after the country celebrated the 60th anniversary of that historic achievement.

Close family sources hinted that the former Olympian died on Monday in Vienna, Austria where he had been living for years after leaving the country.

According to the sources, the late Maiyegun lost his sight about 12 years ago and due to constant health challenge, he was in and out of hospital in the last six months before his death.

Also, a Facebook post by one of his acquaintances, Rudolfine Soultan, said Maiyegun died after a long battle with ill health.

Soultan described Maiyegun’s death as “horrible” and revealed that they would have marked their 17th anniversary together in two days.

On 10th August 1964 in Tokyo, Japan, Maiyegun shared the bronze medal with Józef Grzesiak of Poland in the Light middleweight category. At the Olympics, the two semi-finals losers are traditionally awarded the bronze medal, as there is no third-place bout.

Described as a “golden bronze” in sporting circles, that was Nigeria’s first-ever medal since its maiden appearance at the 1952 Helsinki Games and it ended the country’s 12-year winless streak at the global sporting fiesta.