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Blessing Oborududu (born 12 March 1989 in Gbanranu) is a multi-gold-winning Nigerian freestyle wrestler. She has represented Nigeria in many wrestling matches and competitions since 2009 Casablanca.
The wrestling juggernaut is fierce on the wrestling ground and has defeated many opponents. In the latest rank, she is the “number 2 woman wrestler in the world”.
She holds the record as the first woman representing Nigeria to bag a gold medal at gold medal. Currently, she has over won 12 golds. Blessing is also a “ten time African champion” (2010-2020).
Profile
| Name | Blessing Oborududu |
| Born | 12 March 1989 (age 32 years) Gbanranu, Enugu State |
| Gender | Female |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Country | Nigeria |
| Sports | Amateur Wrestling |
| Event(s) | Freestyle |
| Occupation | Wrestler |
Background
She was born on 12 March 1989 in Gbanranu in Enugu State, South-Eastern Nigeria. After she developed an interest in wrestling, she appeared in many inter-house competitions at school.
Blessing’s impressive performances gained her an invitation to a national camp in 2007 to participate at the African Games.
Her parents did not support her to be a wrestler at first. They tried to let her know that the sport is allocated to boys only.
Career
Blessing has proven that she is a talented and passionate wrestler. She has made her country proud after taking home a gold medal at the African Wrestling Championships. She has bagged the gold medal each year consecutively since 2010.
In 2012, she did not appear in the competition since she entered the freestyle 63 kg events at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Though she left the competition in the 1/8 finals after being eliminated by Monika Michalik.
At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, she took home a bronze medal in the women’s middleweight. In 2016, she entered the Summer Olympics and competed in the women’s middleweight
Blessing left the competition after she lost to Soronzonboldyn Battsetseg in the second round.
Another gold medal she won was at the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games. She took home the medal for women 63 kg category.
She bagged another gold medal at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games in the 68kg women’s freestyle wrestling event.
She won the medal after she defeated Dannielle Lappage, who was representing Canada.
The blessing took home the silver medal in her event at the “2021 Poland Open” in Warsaw Poland in June 2021.
She also won the silver medal in the women’s freestyle 68kg on 3 August 2021. She left the competition after she lost to Tamyra Mensah-Stock 4-1 at the 2020 Summer Olympics.
She holds the record as the first Nigerian (both male and female) to win an Olympic medal in wrestling. Eventually, she won for Nigeria her (country) first silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Competitions
African Wrestling Championships
| Bronze | 2009 Casablanca | 59 kg |
| Gold | 2010 Cairo | 59 kg |
| Gold | 2011 Dakar | 63 kg |
| Gold | 2013 N’Djamena | 63 kg |
| Gold | 2014 Tunis | 63 kg |
| Gold | 2015 Alexandria | 63 kg |
| Gold | 2016 Alexandria | 69 kg |
| Gold | 2017 Marrakesh | 63 kg |
| Gold | 2018 Port Harcourt | 68 kg |
| Gold | 2019 Hammamet | 68 kg |
| Gold | 2020 Algiers | 68 kg |
Commonwealth Games
| Silver | 2010 Delhi | 63 kg |
| Bronze | 2014 Glasgow | 63 kg |
| Gold | 2018 Gold Coast | 68 kg |
Islamic Solidarity Games
| Gold | 2017 Baku | 63 kg |
Olympic Games
| Silver | 2020 Tokyo | 68 kg |
| Silver | 2021 Poland | 68 kg |
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