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 his confidante, Rudolfine F Soultan, in a Facebook post on Monday, where she expressed her deep sorrow over his death.
Maiyegun, who had been battling an unnamed illness for several months, died on Monday morning in Vienna, Austria, where he had been residing.
At the age of 23, Maiyegun achieved historic recognition by winning Nigeria’s first Olympic medal—a bronze—in the light-heavyweight boxing category at the Tokyo 1964 Olympics. He defeated William Robinson of Great Britain in the second round in under two minutes and went on to beat Tom Bogs of Denmark in the quarter-finals. He lost to France’s Joseph Gonzalez in the semi-finals but secured the bronze medal along with Poland’s Józef Grzesiak.
In addition to his Olympic success, Maiyegun earned another bronze medal at the 1966 Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.
Maiyegun began his professional boxing career after leaving Nigeria in 1971. His contributions to boxing and his historic achievements remain a significant part of Nigeria’s sports legacy.
