CARDIFF, UK – Nigeria’s Paralympic bronze medallist, Eniola Bolaji, delivered a stunning performance to claim the 2025 British and Irish Para Badminton International title, defeating world No. 1 and reigning Paralympic champion Qonitah Syakuroh in a thrilling final at the Sport Wales National Centre.
Ranked world No. 2, Bolaji avenged her previous defeat to Syakuroh at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games by securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory (21-16, 16-21, 21-13) in the women’s SL3 singles final.
She started the match confidently, taking the opening game 21-16. Though Syakuroh rallied to win the second game by the same margin, Bolaji mounted a spirited comeback in the deciding game, overturning a narrow deficit at 11-13 to win 21-13 and lift the title — her biggest international triumph to date.
Bolaji’s journey to the final was equally impressive. She began her campaign with a 2-0 (21-12, 21-18) win over Australia’s Celine Vinot in the second round, followed by another straight-sets victory over France’s world No. 10 Milena Surreau (21-8, 21-18). She then swept aside India’s Sanjana Kumari 2-0 (21-5, 21-15) to reach the semi-finals, where she again faced and defeated Vinot decisively, 2-0 (21-4, 21-8).
Reacting to the historic win, President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, praised Bolaji’s resilience and growth.
“I’m thrilled with this victory because Bolaji has just beaten the world number one — the same opponent she lost to at the Paris 2024 semi-finals,” Orbih said. “This shows her remarkable improvement. We are proud of her progress and believe she is ready for even greater challenges.”
Orbih also commended the support of the Badminton Confederation of Africa (BCA) and Nigeria’s National Sports Commission, affirming that Bolaji’s triumph reinforces Nigeria’s rising profile on the global para badminton stage.
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