The recently concluded 2020 Tokyo Olympics which was held in Japan, again, showed how people of Nigerian descent have continued to win big for other nations.
While Nigeria only returned with two medals courtesy of Blessing Oborodudu and Ese Brume, there were five other Nigerians who won medals for other countries at the Olympics.
Below is a shortlist of athletes who have Nigerian heritage but competed for other countries in Tokyo and also won medals.
Desalu Eseosa
Though he is of Nigerian origin, he was born and raised in Italy and acquired full Italian citizenship in 2012. The 27-year old was part of the all-conquering Italian Men’s 4x100m quartet that stormed to gold in Tokyo.
In a chat with newsmen, he said “I have never been to Nigeria and, right now [2019], I don’t feel the need to go. I don’t even know the national anthem of Nigeria. My roots are in Africa and I don’t ignore them but I consider myself deeply Italian”.
Ujah Chindu
In what was his second Olympic Games for Great Britain after his debut in Rio, Ujah narrowly missed out on the 4x100m gold but would be pleased with the silver nonetheless.
It was gathered that Ujah’s father was an engineer who moved from Nigeria to England as a boy. The sprinter admits it was difficult convincing his father that a career in athletics was the right choice for him.
Speaking with Daily Mail, he said “I used to play football for my local club and was pretty good. Dad was not too impressed about football and he didn’t like the idea of me going pro. When I was doing athletics he thought it was just a hobby, and I set my heart on showing him that it wasn’t just a little thing on the side.
“He got a letter in the post when I was 17 saying I’d been selected for the world youth championships, then it was world juniors the next year, and European juniors after that. Basically, I’ve been on every national team since 2011 so he’s come round to the idea. But my family are very focused on education and not sport”.
Ajomale Bolad
The 25-year-old sprinter represented Canada in the 4x100m men’s event at the Tokyo Olympics and won a bronze medal. He was born in London, England, and moved to his parent’s home country of Nigeria at age three. His family relocated to Canada when he was 11.
Bam Adebayo
Adebayo, who was born in Newark, New Jersey to a Nigerian father and an African-American mother, started all six Basketball Olympic Games for Team USA and helped lead the team to win the Gold Medal despite their shaky start which saw them lose their first game at the Olympics.
Akinradewo Foluke
Akinradewo helped the USA women’s volleyball team win gold on the final day of action when they beat Brazil in Tokyo.
Speaking with newsmen, Foluke said “My routine has been quite different. The biggest thing for me is having less downtime. I have a fantastic support system with my husband, who’s really stepping in, and my mother, and I couldn’t do what I’m doing without them.
“It makes it even more difficult to be away from home and it’s not easy having to be a mum after a hard practice, but it’s so worth it. And my son is a big motivation for me. I hope one day when he gets older he can be proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish with my team.”
It’s important to note that apart from those that won medals, there were a handful of other ‘Nigerians’ that featured for other countries in Tokyo.
