Nigeria's Eniola Bolaji won the women's singles gold medal at the 5th Dubai Para Badminton International 2023.
Eniola continued to dominate the field of badminton for the disabled, beating the women's world rankings of fifth, third and first in the women's singles in the SL-3 division to win next year's Paris
Paralympic qualification.
She made a splash in her first international debut in 2021 when she won the Spanish Para Badminton International Open. She remained undefeated in 2023, winning the 2023 Uganda International and then three gold medals at the African Para Badminton Championships in Kampala, Uganda.
Eniola continued her stellar performance at the 2023 Dubai Para Badminton International, winning the SL3 women's singles gold medal by defeating world No. 1 Syakuroh Qonitah of Indonesia 21-7, 13-21, 21-11.
En route to the final, Eniola defeated Emoma Ivanovna of Bulgaria 21-10, 21-8 in the first round of the tournament to advance to the second round, where she managed to subdue India's Mandeep Kaur 21-16, 21-17 (2-0) to lock up a spot in the quarterfinals.
In the quarterfinals, Bolaji defeated Manasi Joshi, also from India, 21-13, 21-11 to secure a spot in the semifinals of the category. There, she defeated China's Xiao Zuxian 21-13, 20-22, 21-15 to lock in a place in the final.
This success for Eniola also qualifies her for next year's
Paris Paralympic Games
The President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, while commending the player for her series of achievements, said it was not surprising that she won given the determination and will power of the athlete.
He further stated that the federation is determined to support all athletes to compete and carry the Nigerian flag at any level.
Olby was pleased with this development and congratulated the players on this major success.
In his response, Bolaji thanked the Federation for its support.
