Results from the 2nd Diamond Super Star National Open Kickboxing Championship

The Diamond Superstar National Open Kickboxing Championship is a yearly competition arranged by the Kickboxing Federation of Nigeria but financially supported by an individual with the goal of unearthing emerging talent and promoting the growth of kickboxing in Nigeria. The event was held on the 23^rd to 27^th August, 2023 at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City, Edo state-Nigeria

Arrival: The State Kickboxing Association departed from Yenaoga on August 23, 2023, around noon, and safely reached Benin at 5:20 PM on the same day. Some of our athletes residing in different states also arrived on the same day. We promptly located a nearby hotel close to the stadium and settled in for a well-deserved night’s rest. In total, we registered 16 athletes and 4 officials.

August 24th: The day was filled with medical examinations, weigh-ins, a coaches’ seminar, a technical meeting, and the drawing of brackets.

(Day 3) August 25th: The fights commenced. To spare you a detailed breakdown of all the matches, our team excelled, with 13 of our athletes reaching the finals.

(Day 4) August 26th: The final day of fights. Out of our 13 finals, we secured victory in 5, earning us gold medals, and unfortunately, we lost 7, resulting in silver medals. Additionally, we achieved 3 bronze medals in other matches.

The medalists are as follows;

Gold

1. Bright Green 67kg (male)
2. Lucky Godwin 57kg (Male)
3. Ezekiel Edoyanbo 64kg (male)
4. Ebere Nwachukwu – 70kg (female)
5. Alice Ikor – 65kg (female)

Silver

1. Jeremiah Akpan – 60kg (male) low kick
2. Krobake Kenneth – 57kg (male) low kick
3. Moses Sele – 55kg (male) low kick
4. Felix Chinonso – 63kg (male) low kick
5. Alaere Japhet – 60kg (female) low kick
6. Chinaza Nwachukwu – +70kg (female) low kick
7. Oduebube Andrew – 52kg (female) low kick

Bronze

1. Musa Abdulahi – 67kg (male) low kick
2. Young Kelvin – 62kg (male) low kick
3. Esther Edonwa 54kg (female) low kick

The event concluded on the 26th with the medal presentation ceremony. Edo emerged as the top-performing team, securing 1st position with a remarkable tally of 7 Gold, 4 Silver, and 5 Bronze medals, while Bayelsa secured 2nd place with 5 Gold, 7 Silver, and 3 Bronze medals.

Departure: On the 27th of August, 2023, the team set off at 10:30 AM and safely arrived in Yenagoa at 5:15 PM.

EVANS FREEMAN IMBIAKPA

Association Secretary