2019 ANOC World Beach Games: Excitement cost me gold — Silver Medallist

Nigeria’s silver medallist in the 50+kg wrestling at the just-concluded 2019 ANOC World Beach Games in Doha, Qatar, Eenesis Miesinnei, says she was overwhelmed with excitement, hence, she lost concentration which cost her the gold medal of the vent.

Miesinnei made the revelation while reflecting on what went wrong during the much anticipated match in which she was expected to have won gold.

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Miesinnei did the nation proud by emerging with silver medal alongside her fellow wrestler, Blessing Onyebuchi, who won gold medal in the 70+kg of the beach wrestling.

She said that save the errors made during the fight, her opponent was not a match for her, adding that she was already relishing the momentum as a gold medallist.

“I am in the beach wrestling for the first time and the experience was great for me. I like every bit of it.“The beach wrestling is a bit different from our familiar freestyle wrestling. I don’t really know what happened that cost me the gold medal, but I think I was very excited.

“During the fight, I was excited and made few mistakes, but aside that, my opponent was not a match for me, next time, I am going to be more mature with it.

“I think I should be winning the gold medal next time because I am better than my opponent,” she said.

The Bayelsa indigene said that going to the Olympics might be a different ball game, adding that the world stage would have an array of more professional wrestlers.

“For now, I can’t promise a gold medal in wrestling during next year’s Olympics because the competition will be tougher.

“Olympics is a different competition because it is a gathering of top players all over the world, but if I am at my best, then anything can happen.

“I have had a lot of help from my coach and the wrestling federation’s President, Daniel Igali, who has been of great assistance to me.

“Also I received a lot of support from my state government, Bayelsa, which can be regarded to as the home of wrestling in Nigeria now,” she said.