They lost their sight, then found glory on the mat

Punch Nigeria · Peter Akinbo · 2026-10-25 23:02 UTC

Two Nigerian blind sambists, Rukayat Suleimon and Sodiq Ajibade, overcame personal despair to make sporting history by winning international medals in SAMB

Two visually impaired Nigerian athletes have turned personal despair into sporting history through SAMBO, a Russian martial art little known in Nigeria. Rukayat Suleimon became the world’s first blind female sambist to win international gold, while Sodiq Ajibade became the first African medallist at the Blind SAMBO World Championships. Both once contemplated suicide but found renewed purpose through sports, reports PETER AKINBO

Rukayat Suleimon travelled to Armenia with one resolve: she would return to Nigeria with a medal.

At the Gazprom Educational-Sports Complex in Yerevan, the atmosphere became a soundtrack she could interpret even without sight. She could not see the spectators lining the arena, the Armenian flags fluttering around the venue or the Nigerian officials watching from their seats, but every sound told its own story.

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