Badminton: Mariam wins Nigeria’s first medal at the Paralympics

Mariam Bolaji, a Nigerian badminton player competing at the Paralympics, has secured Nigeria’s first medal in Paris. 

Mariam won bronze this morning after defeating Ukrainian Oksana Koyna 21:7 and 21:7 in a straight two-set win. 

Aside from winning the medal, Mariam also set precedence as the first African to reach the badminton semifinal at the Olympics. 

The 18-year-olds into the tournament defeated Indian Mandeep Kaur in the quarterfinal berth to enter the semis. Unfortunately, she couldn’t go past Chinese Xiao Zuxian, losing by a whisker in two straight sets, 21-16 and 21-17.