•Daniel Igali Photo: Sun News Publishing

More Stories on This Section

Technical Adviser of the Nigeria wrestling team to the All Africa Games and Olympic gold medalist, Daniel Igali, has promised to help the team amass enough medals in their bid to attain the No 1 position in the games.

Wrestling is one of the sports which Team Nigeria are banking on to successfully increase Nigeria’s medals tally at the games.
During the Abuja 2003 edition of the games, wrestling hauled in a total of 18 medals for Nigeria – Nine gold, six silver and 3 bronze.

The Nigerian born-Canadian, whom the National Sports Commission (NSC) contracted solely to tinker the wrestling team for the games to perfection, stated that his wards would surpass the 2003 result, as he has effectively imparted on them the needed skills to come out in flying colours during the games in Algiers.

According to the Commonwealth champion, wrestling is a sport that has a high medals rate. He opined that his charges have been primed to go the extra mile to achieve their goal.

Despite the loss of two top wrestlers, Amas Daniel in 55kg, who broke his arm during training, and 2003 gold medal holder in 59kg female wrestling, Happiness Brutu, who sustained a neck injury in camp, Igali said his wrestlers have put the unfortunate incidents behind them and are ready to bring honour to Nigeria and themselves.
"The wrestlers are in good shape and in good frame of mind. We have gotten to the point where you have the wrestlers loaded; the wrestlers are where I want them to be. They appear sharp, which is a very good sign.

"I have raised the bars and the wrestlers are very much alive to the task ahead of them. At the last games, wrestling got a total of 18 medals for Nigeria.
"Interestingly, it is a sport that has a high number of medals and our quest is to ensure that we surpass the result of the last games, and the level of enthusiasm shown by the wrestlers is very encouraging."
Igali went further to state that the host country, Algiers, and some other countries would pose some sort of opposition to Nigeria, he, however, expressed confidence that he has selected the best wrestlers for the job.

"African countries are coming up in wrestling, it behoves on my athletes to give it their best shot and overcome those they would fight on the mat," Igali said.
Former National Sports Commission Chairman, Engr Bala Bawa Ka’oje, had thumbed up the Nigeria Amateur Wrestling Federation as one of the Federation that would certainly boost Nigeria medals chances at the games. Nigeria is in Algiers with 21 wrestlers, and six officials; seven Greco-Roman, seven freestyle men and seven women wrestlers.