Nigeria’s Esther Kolawole delivered a dominant performance to clinch gold in the women’s 62kg wrestling category at the 2025 Grand Prix of Spain, defeating the United States’ Jaffe Haylie 10-0 by technical superiority in Saturday’s final.
Kolawole dispatched Spain’s Lydia Tourino with another 10-0 victory in the quarter-finals and overcame Poland’s Alicja Nowosad 4-1 in a tough semi-final bout to secure her spot in the final.
President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Daniel Igali, praised Kolawole’s outstanding performance and emphasized the importance of such international exposure.
“I believe this experience will help shape her for future international competitions,” Igali said. “I’m truly impressed by her outing. If she keeps this up, Nigerians can expect more gold medals in the near future.”
Kolawole’s gold adds to Nigeria’s growing reputation on the global wrestling stage, with the young athlete now seen as one of the country’s brightest prospects ahead of upcoming world championships and the 2028 Olympics.
