Nigeria’s quest for a return to the taekwondo event of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will start this weekend, as the four-man contingent will on Thursday, February 8, depart Nigeria aboard Asky Airline from Abuja.
The team led by coach Victor John include Benjami Okomose, Ifeoluwa Ajayi and Chinazum Nwosu will team up with Germany-based Elizabeth Anyanacho who is already in Dakar for the two-day tournament.
According to Coach John, the team is poised to win more than one ticket this year.
“We are heading to Dakar with a lot of confidence because we know the quality of athletes we are taking to Dakar. There is no doubt that we are certain that we can have more than one athlete making it to Paris this year. But we are just modest in our ambition and hoping that what we have done will be enough to see us through in Dakar,” he told Sportsafricana.com.
Okomose, who will be competing in the men’s 80kg and will be making his second attempt at making it to the Olympic Games, will face some of the finest taekwondists in the continent in his weight category.
“Benjamin will have to be at his best if he hopes to qualify because he will likely meet some of the top fighters in Africa and I am sure he can deliver as he narrowly missed out from Tokyo 2022,” the coach added.
Ajayi will be making his debut at the qualifiers while Nwosu will be hoping to break the jinx that has trailed her in the last two qualifiers where she missed out.
This time, being her third appearance at the Olympic Games qualifiers, Nwosu will be competing in the women’s -49kg and will be hoping for a change of fortune this year.
The qualifiers take place at the Dakar Arena from February 10 to 11.
