By Victor Kanayo
The first ever Nigerian to win an Olympic medal, Nojim Maiyegun, has passed on, aged 84.
This was disclosed by his close ally, Rudolfine Soultan, who revealed that Maiyegun passed away after a long illness.
Part of his post reads, “My Jimmy died. I can’t say more about this right now because it’s just horrible. The day after tomorrow, we would have been together for 17 years.”
Maiyegun made history by winning a bronze medal in light-heavyweight boxing at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a feat that earned him a place in the country’s sporting hall of fame.
Maiyegun’s remarkable achievement in Tokyo and his subsequent bronze medal at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica, inspired generations of Nigerian athletes.
He was the first Nigerian to win an Olympic gold medal, and was 23 when he won a bronze medal in the light-heavyweight boxing category at Tokyo 1964.
In the second round of the competition, he defeated Great Britain’s William Robinson in just one minute and 59 seconds — a remarkable feat in amateur boxing.
