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Since Nigeria began participating in the Olympics, the country has had only two female athletes represent it in taekwondo. The first was Princess Dudu, who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and the second is Elizabeth Anyanacho, now a two-time Olympian.
Elizabeth made her Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games, where she faced Turkey and lost 7-12. Although she had initially planned to compete at the Olympics in 2024, her journey was expedited. This year, she returns to represent Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, making history as the first female Nigerian athlete to qualify for back-to-back Olympic Games in taekwondo.
At 25 years old, Elizabeth secured her spot in Paris by defeating Kenya’s Jully Musangi in the -67kg category at the 2024 African Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament in Dakar, Senegal. Her journey to this point has been marked by significant accomplishments, including a gold medal at the 13th African Games in Ghana and a silver medal at the 2023 African Taekwondo Championships in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Elizabeth’s success has earned her praise from key figures in Nigerian sports. The President of the National Olympic Committee, Habu Gumel, lauded her as a “rising star” committed to representing the nation with pride in Paris. Abdullahi Saidu, President of the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation (NTF), also commended her efforts, stating, “Despite other athletes missing out in the automatic qualification race for Paris 2024, Elizabeth fought like the champion and made it to the final.”
He also expressed his confidence in Elizabeth’s abilities, noting that her hard work and dedication have paid off, and she is ready to compete as a more mature athlete at the Paris Games.
Tomorrow, August 9th, Elizabeth will face Jie of China in the Women’s -67kg Round of 16 Match 6 at 10:11 AM.
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