When Mariam Eniola Bolaji defeated Oksana Kozyna to clinch bronze in the women’s Para badminton SL3 at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, she created history not just for herself and her country Nigeria, but also for an entire continent.
Why? Because Bolaji is now the first African player, male or female, to win a badminton medal at either the Olympic or Paralympic Games.
It means that her name will be etched into Nigerian and African history forever, something that she now hopes will blaze a trail for other young players on the continent.
“I feel so good, so nice,” Bolaji reflected, the morning after her win. “I’ve been breaking records since 2021 and I’m continuing to do that for Africans in Para badminton.
“I played very well. I really trained for it, and I’m happy that I can make my dreams come true. I wanted the gold medal, but I still thank God for making me make history.”
Asked about the landmark bronze medal match against Kozyna she added: “I lost to her in 2021 at the group stage and won later in the final. Since then, I’ve been able to beat her.
“The crowds in Paris have been great. There are only two players that have come from Africa for Para badminton and everybody has been supporting me.”
Mariam Eniola Bolaji (right) celebrates on the podium after her historic win Getty Images
Medal memorial
Originally a Para table tennis player, Bolaji was encouraged to try out badminton by her late coach Bello Rafiu Oyebanji, who tragically died in a traffic accident.
Oyebanji passed away in 2021 as Bolaji was preparing for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, and his death has proved to be a major inspiration for Bolaji’s career in the following years.
“My late coach was the one that brought me through, he trained me and encouraged me. The medal is dedicated to him. He would be very, very happy and would be saying ‘I’m proud of you’.
“I started Para badminton in 2018. I was playing table tennis and Bello introduced Para badminton to me. It was a new sport in Nigeria and I enjoyed it straight away.
“I’ve been thinking about these Paralympics since Tokyo 2020. Para badminton gives us slots to come to the Paralympics, so my coach was always planning this for me.”
Encouraging a new generation
Now Bolaji is keen that her considerable achievements encourage more African players to both take up the sport and also succeed at Paralympic level.
Mariam Eniola Bolaji hopes her medal can help inspire others to take up the sport © Alexandre Battibugli
She said: “I hope other people in Africa will be inspired by this and come to Para badminton now.”
Bolaji’s own immediate future will see her support her Nigerian team-mates in other events over the next three days, before returning home.
There, she will undergo treatment for a troubling ankle injury that while painful, has not prevented her landmark feat.
She explained: “I need to take a break and have a rest because exactly a month before the Paralympics I had an ankle injury.
“I’ve been training and playing with it. Now I need to get treatment for it and come back strong. It’s been very, very painful – but worth it.”
By Gareth Walker for the IPC
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