Mariam Eniola Bolaji has made history by becoming the first African to win a medal in para-badminton at the Paralympics, winning Bronze in the women’s SL3 singles at the Games in Paris.
She displayed exceptional skills, seeing off Ukraine’s Oksana Kozyna in straight sets with a score of 2-0 (21-9, 21-9), winning Nigeria’s first medal of the Paris 2024 Paralympics and ending the country’s long medal drought.
Her journey to the podium began with her historic wins in the group stage, where she became the first African player to win a Badminton match at the Paralympics. Her standout performances, including a key victory against Australia’s Celine Aurelie Vinot, set the stage for her medal-winning success.
On progressing out of the group stage into the quarterfinal, she continued to hit landmarks with a straight set victory over India’s Mandeep Kaur while her only loss was against eventual GOLD medallist, Zuxian Xiao of China.
