By Adebayo Olatunde
With the curtain drawn at the 2022 Africa Taekwondo G-4 championship in Kigali Rwanda were 245 athletes from 21 countries competed for glory, for Olusola Olowookere it was the next step in what has been a crucial year for the young star year in the sport.
Olusola, a final year student of the University of Lagos and taekwondo athlete, continued his impressive run in Nigerian taekwondo winning a bronze medal in the male -74kg category.
Olusola was a member of the six man team representing Nigeria. The team comprised of two female and four male including Chizum Nwozu who fought in the female -53kg, Elizabeth Anyanacho in the female -67kg, Benjamin Okuomose in the male +87Kg, Bright Paul Kolade in the male -80Kg, Shola Olowookere in the male -74kg and Haruna Usman in Poomsae competition discipline of the championship.
Olusola lost against Tunisia’s rep, Firas Katousi in the Semis to earn his bronze medal and described his experience in Kigali as a great opportunity. He said: “ I feel it is an opportunity to showcase to the world what we can do as a country despite the challenges and limitations we go through.”
Olusola hopes to attend more international tournaments to gain more exposure and experience. He believes that the exposure to different fighters will help him learn new styles and compete with top athletes across the world. He ended his remarks by appreciating the Nigeria Taekwondo Federation for their input towards the success of the team.