Nigerian Visually Impaired Athlete Claims Historic Gold at World Sambo Cup

Nigeria’s Rukayat Suleimon has delivered a landmark performance on the global stage after securing a gold medal at the World Sambo Cup held in Yerevan, Armenia.

Competing in the women’s 54kg division, Suleimon produced an outstanding run in her first appearance at the competition, defeating highly rated opponents from Central Asia to reach the top of the podium.

She opened her campaign with a tight 12–10 win over Kazakhstan’s Elnara Abdinazarova, before dominating Uzbekistan’s Charos Ortikova 13–2 in the final bout to seal the championship title.

Her victory is being celebrated as a historic moment for Nigeria, as she became one of the standout athletes at the tournament and further boosted the country’s profile in para-sport.

Suleimon, who also has a background in judo, was part of an inclusive category introduced by the International Sambo Federation to give visually impaired athletes a platform at elite level.

Another Nigerian competitor, Elizabeth Aseso, also featured in the event but was unable to progress to the medal stages.

Officials of the Nigeria Sambo Association praised Suleimon’s achievement, describing it as evidence of the growing potential of para-athletes when given international exposure and structured support.