Nigeria's first Olympic medalist, Maiyegun, dies at 85

Nigeria’s archetypal medalist astatine the Olympic Games, Nojim Maiyegun, is dead.

Maiyegun, The Guardian gathered, died during the precocious hours of Monday astatine the property of 85.

According to aggregate sources, Maiyegun died of earthy causes successful Vienna, Austria, wherever helium had been surviving for years. His decease was besides confirmed by different Nigerian, Stephen Ogboh, who is an acquaintance of Pa Nojim successful Austria.

The precocious Olympic champion was reportedly visually impaired and had been successful and retired of the infirmary for the past six months earlier his eventual death.

Maiyegun’s decease came conscionable a fewer days aft the 60th day of his feat erstwhile helium won a bronze medal successful boxing connected 10 August 1964 astatine the Olympics successful Tokyo.

He shared the bronze medal with Józef Grzesiak of Poland successful the Light Middleweight category.

At the Olympics, the 2 losers successful the semifinals are traditionally awarded the bronze medal, arsenic determination is nary third-place bout.

It was the archetypal clip since Helsinki 1952, erstwhile Nigeria started participating successful the Games, that helium won a medal.

Maiyegun ended Nigeria’s 12-year winless streak astatine the Olympics.

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He was calved connected 17 February 1941 successful Lagos and achieved a historical feat for Nigeria by winning a bronze medal successful the men’s Light Middleweight (71 kg) class astatine the 1964 Summer Olympics successful Tokyo, Japan.

He was Nigeria’s archetypal Olympic medalist. Not overmuch was heard of him until 2012 erstwhile his nonaccomplishment of imaginativeness was made public.