Nigeria’s Joshua Omole: From dodging hunger pains to securing Paris 2024 Olympic quota at the Africa Boxing Qualifier

"They say the downfall of a man is the beginning of his life," said Nigeria's Joshua Omole, reflecting the challenges he has overcome to secure a quota spot for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

There are many times Omole contemplated quitting the sport. He had so many reasons to do so, from being disappointed by his boxing journey to needing to earn money to pay for food.

"I stayed positive," he told us on Friday (15 September), moments after the 24-year-old became the second of three Nigerians to earn an Olympic berth through their performance at the Paris 2024 Boxing Africa Olympic Qualifier, live on Olympic Channel.

As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.

“There will be a time I'm in training with my coach hard and, at the end, there will be nothing for me to eat, yet I was already starving even before training,” the Lagos bred boxer told Olympics.com ringside at the Dakar Arena in the Senegalese capital.

“Training morning and evening and I am starving. It really weighed me down, but I kept struggling as I needed to get my family, get my people out of poverty."

But he still managed to summon every last drop of his strength to get up every morning and pursue a passion his mother strongly believed he was made for.

“There are those who didn’t think I am good enough for the team, but every time they held the National Trials I won with knockdowns.”

Omole had to box around for most of his Friday final against a charged Yadesa Leta in the men's 57kg, and was relieved to grab a ‘life-changing quota slot to Paris’ on a split decision.

He survived a physical contest that he managed to control in the first round.

Ethiopian Leta kept at him with blistering speed in their bout, boxing him around the ring in the last six minutes, but Omole's accurate punches, especially his left cross, had earned him enough points to win a 3-2 split of what was sometime a messy bout, and ensure he became the first male boxer from his nation to earn an Olympic slot since Rio 2016.

“This has been my dream since 2020, but Nigeria didn’t come here, but this is my time to take over,” an overjoyed Omole told Olympics.com.

Paris quotas won in Friday afternoon session

Omole wasn't the only Nigerian to secure an Olympic quota on Friday, with Adam Olaore also winning his final in Dakar.

Reigning African champion Olaore crowned a fantastic national season with his team with another dominant bout in the men’s 92kg.

Tall puncher Olaore denied Mohammed Houmri a second Olympics appearance after Tokyo, outboxing him through the three rounds of their light heavyweight bout.

“That was tougher than I hoped it would be,” admitted the 21-year-old. “Everyone wants it, we are both finals, but clearly, I wanted it more. This feels right, feels right where I am supposed to belong.”

World champion Khadija Mardi of Morocco secured the final ticket in the women’s competition at this Qualifiers with a unanimous victory in the 75kg.

“I had to drop weight from my usual over 81kg to 75kg in one month, and to win all my fights here and qualify is special,” said Mardi.

Mardi dominated her bout against Kenya’s first Olympian boxer, Elizabeth Andiego, who was seeking a return to the Games after appearing at London 2012. The Moroccan ensured a 5-0 unanimous decision with her quality boxing.

“I am so happy to secure this spot and dedicate this to the victims of the earthquake in my country and to my three daughters and my late mum,” Mardi, who missed Tokyo due to the birth of her third child, told Olympics.com.

Mardi's mother suffered a heart attack and died as she watched her daughter compete at a local boxing championships in 2014.

Egypt’s Elawad Elawady just survived a difficult slug against another African gold medallist Steve Kulenguluka in the men's 71kg.

Elawady was thrilled to be on the end of a 3-1 split decision against his Congolese opponent.

The day began with Morocco’s Widad Bertal and Cynthia Ogunsemilore who had both secured their tickets on Thursday posting a pair of 5-0 unanimous victories against Abdalla Ayyad of Egypt in the 54kg and Algeria’s Hadjila Khelif in the 60kg respectively.

Kadi Mourad, Jugurtha Ait, Orabi Abdelgawwad, Patrick Chinyemba grab final Olympic slots in Dakar

Algerian boxers dominated the evening session on Friday, grabbing two more quota slots for a total of seven from the 18 available in the Dakar event.

The day ended on a high note for Kadi Mourad. He crushed Senegalese spirits with his spilt 4-1 victory over local favourite Diarga Balde who was carrying his nation’s hope for a return to the Olympic ring since Sydney 2000.

Cheered on by thunderous roars from hundreds of local fans, Balde came back forcefully in the last round but failed to hit top gear against the Algerian in the +92kg bout.

Earlier, his compatriot Sergent Jugurtha Ait from the Algerian Army ended Mauritian Richarno Colin’s charge towards a fourth Olympics on a split decision in the 63.5kg.

Orabi Abdelgawwad was overwhelmed by the prospect of a third Olympics, waving his bib in delight after ending Tanzanian Lucasi Changalawe’s dream run in Dakar with a unanimous point victory in the 80kg.

“Brazil, Tokyo and now Paris Olympics!” he screamt in delight as he pointed to his Olympic ring branded socks.

The first man to book his ticket in the final part of the Qualifier was Zambia’s Tokyo Olympian Patrick Chinyemba who beat Eddine Zidi from Tunisia by KO in the third round of their 51kg bout.

There were no major surprises in the women’s finals with spirited Olympians Roumaysa Boualam from Morocco**,** Algerian Imane Khelif, and Khouloud Hlimi of Tunisia, all ended the Qualifiers unbeaten.

Boulam pulled a 4-1 split win over North African opponent Yasmine Mouttaki in the 50kg**,** as 2022 world champ silver medallist Khelif overcame Alcinda Dos Santos from Mozambique (5-0) in the 57kg, with Hlimi also registering another unanimous points victory over Congolese Marcelat Sakobi in the 57kg.

As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.

Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.