Nojim Maiyegun, Nigeria’s first-ever Olympic medalist and a former boxer, has passed away at the age of 83. The news was confirmed by a close confidante, Rudolfine F Soultan, in a Facebook post on Monday, where she expressed her grief over his loss.
Maiyegun, who had been residing in Vienna, Austria, reportedly died on Monday morning after battling an undisclosed illness for several months.
At just 23 years old, Maiyegun made history by winning Nigeria’s first Olympic medal, a bronze, in the light-heavyweight boxing category at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. He achieved this feat by defeating Great Britain’s William Robinson in the second round in just one minute and 59 seconds. Although he advanced to the quarter-finals by defeating Denmark’s Tom Bogs, he lost in the semi-finals to France’s Joseph Gonzalez, earning a shared bronze medal with Poland’s Józef Grzesiak.
In addition to his Olympic success, Maiyegun also won a bronze medal at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.