As African badminton champion, Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori gears up to make Olympic history for the continent in Paris, the Nigerian athlete can draw inspiration from his remarkable journey of defying the odds.
Despite being born in an informal settlement in Lagos, the 27-year-old has ascended to win four continental singles titles, more than any African man before him. His achievement is even more impressive considering Nigeria lacks a single badminton-designated facility. Nevertheless, Opeyori aims to become the first African to advance in the Olympic men’s singles competition.
“My target is to get to the quarter-final because once I’m able to win one game, I believe that will be a big upset for everyone, and I should be able to achieve more than that,” Opeyori told BBC Sport Africa.
Since badminton became an Olympic sport in 1992, no African man has reached the next round, although South Africa’s Jacob Maliekal won a group stage game in the 2016 Games but failed to advance further. In contrast, Hadia Hosny of Egypt reached the second round in the women’s competition in 2008, the only time an African has achieved this in Olympic badminton singles history.
Despite this daunting history, Opeyori, who won Africa’s last three singles titles and the African Games title earlier this year, approaches the 2024 Games with confidence. “Technically speaking, I’m not under pressure because I’ll be facing people that are very good. So they should be the ones under pressure because I’m coming for them. So it is a battle that I am taking to them.”
Opeyori’s rise in African badminton began unexpectedly while playing Nigeria’s favorite sport at the time. “I was playing football with my friends when the coach saw us,” he recalled at the Rowe Park sports complex in Lagos, where his journey began. “He introduced the game to us, and immediately after he gave me the racket, I bonded with it.”
With neither a racket nor shoes, Opeyori borrowed both and developed a love for the sport. However, his progress was hindered by the limited badminton facilities in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. “It will amaze you to know that in Nigeria, we don’t have a single badminton facility – not one,” said Francis Orbih, president of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria. “In most public places, what you have is a multi-purpose hall, which is a huge drawback.”
A trip to Asia in 2018 changed Opeyori’s career. After attending a two-month training camp in Indonesia, a country with a rich badminton heritage, Opeyori won the first of his four African men’s singles titles the following year. “He is disciplined, hardworking, and passionate about the game, and that is what has brought him to where he is and kept him there,” said Orbih, who believes Opeyori has the potential to break the Olympic jinx.
Opeyori’s journey to badminton prominence began in earnest when he was doing menial jobs near his Lagos home. Supported by his mother Funke, a former amateur badminton player, he found his calling in the sport. “When he told me he wanted to play badminton, he was not aware that I used to play the sport,” Funke told BBC Sport Africa. “Anytime he travels for competition, I am always happy and support him by fasting and praying because I am excited my son is so fortunate.”
Opeyori’s career has become a family affair, with his elder brother Funsho setting aside his own badminton aspirations nearly a decade ago to train and fund his sibling. “I gave up my dream because I saw good potential in him,” said Funsho. “I’m excited because he is African number one, and I’m very confident that he is going to break the jinx at the Olympics.”
Having played in the doubles at the last Olympics and suffered a first-round exit, Opeyori will be one of just two African men in the badminton singles in Paris, along with Georges Julien Paul of Mauritius. Mauritian Kate Foo Kune and South Africa’s Johanita Scholtz will compete in the women’s singles.
Despite the dominance of Asian players and the challenges faced by Africa’s best, Opeyori is optimistic about achieving success in Paris. “I’m coming with good confidence, and making the nation proud is my aspiration – and the whole of Africa also.”
Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori will begin his quest to make history at the Paris 2024 Olympics in Group N against Li Shi Feng (China) and Tobias Kunezi (Switzerland) in the group stage.
