Sadiq Abdulrahman of Plateau on Sunday won the men’s heavyweight gold medal at the Nigeria Taekwondo Open Championship in Abuja, beating Nigerian Army’s Benjamin Okuoimose in the final.
The championship, which is in its inaugural edition, began on Saturday at the National Stadium and is expected to end on Monday.
Abdulrahman, a bronze medalist at the just-concluded Korean Ambassador’s Cup, while sweeping through the +87 kg competition overcame FCT’s Kenneth Ogbu in a nervy semi-final which he won 16-15.
He now faced another tough opponent in Okuoimose in the final, but was quicker and more accurate with his kicks, racing to a 3-1 lead in the first round.
Okuoimose came out strongly in the second round, but Abdulrahman seemed to easily anticipate his attacks and made him pay, picking him off as he rushed in to attack.
Midway through the round Abdulrahman decked the military man with a straight kick to the his face.
It brought the crowd to its feet and moved him into a five-point lead as the second round ended 7-2.
Okuoimose threw caution to the wind in the final round and put Abdulrahman under immense pressure.
But the Plateau fighter never looked flustered as he held on to finish the fight at 8-5.
“I was just so proud of myself for getting to the final, so I just felt the pressure’s off and I can just absolutely go for it,” Abdulrahman said after winning the gold.
“The medal means a lot, because I put a lot of hard work into this. I train every day and got injured a few times and got back up.
“I wanted to become the first heavyweight gold medalist in the championship and I can’t believe I have achieved my dream.
“A lot of people don’t know it’s so mentally tough and draining. I narrowly missed out in the finals of the Korean Ambassador’s Cup and had to settle for bronze.
“But I went back to training and worked on my weakness and it just shows all the hard work does pay off,” he said.
