Nojeem Maiyegun, Nigeria’s first Olympic medalist, passes away at 83

At a time when many are still reeling from Nigeria’s medal-less performance at the Paris Olympic Games, the country has lost its first-ever Olympic medalist, Nojeem Maiyegun, who passed away on Monday at the age of 83.

Maiyegun’s death was announced by his Austrian partner, Rudolfine Soultan (Funmilayo), through a heartfelt Facebook post. “My Jimylein (Jimmy) is dead. I can’t say more about this right now because it’s just horrible. By the day after tomorrow, we would have been together for 17 years,” she wrote.

Tributes have been pouring in for the Nigerian sporting legend from across the globe since the news filtered in.

Born on 17 February 1941 in the Bamgbose area of Lagos Island, Lagos State, Maiyegun began boxing at 16.

According to reports, Maiyegun’s interest in boxing was sparked by an encounter with a bully at a public tap in Bamgbose.

He then trained at Bonny Ade Boxing Gym for six months before seeking revenge against his tormentor.

Maiyegun’s first international fight was against Ghana’s Joe Blackey in Accra in 1960, which he won.

He became Nigeria’s first-ever Olympic medalist after winning bronze in the men’s light middleweight (71kg) category at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.

Maiyegun also won a bronze medal at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, among several other laurels he won while representing Nigeria.

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Maiyegun, nicknamed “Omo Oloja” by boxing buffs, moved to Austria after turning pro, but his dream of winning a world title was cut short by blindness.

However, he had a short professional career between 1971 and 1973 with only 16 bouts, winning 12, including ten knockouts and four defeats.

Despite his short professional career, Maiyegun’s legacy as a pioneering Nigerian athlete endures.