Nigeria ended its 2024 Paris Olympics campaign without a single medal, marking a disappointing performance.

Hannah Reuben’s 5-2 loss in the Women’s Freestyle 76kg match to Mongolia’s Enkh-Amaryn Davaanasan in the round of 16 dashed the country’s last hope. Despite high expectations following strong qualifying performances, Nigeria struggled to convert its continental dominance into Olympic success across 12 events.

The team faced a series of heartbreaking losses and administrative missteps, mirroring the nation’s 2012 London Olympics performance, where it also left empty-handed. This failure also echoed previous disappointments in the 1952 Helsinki, 1956 Melbourne, 1960 Rome, 1968 Mexico, 1980 Moscow, and 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Favour Ofili, who reached the 200m semi-final, and Tobi Amusan, who failed to advance in the 100m hurdles semi-final, were among those who fell short of a podium finish. Nigeria’s disqualification in the 4x400m men’s relay due to a lane violation further compounded the nation’s woes. Although Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro, and Prestina Ochonogor made history by reaching the women’s long jump final, they also failed to secure medals.

In response, Minister of Sports Development John Enoh described the performances as disastrous and pledged to address the issues, including potentially revising the election process for sports federation leaders.