World No. 2 and Paris Paralympics bronze medallist Eniola Bolaji successfully defended her title, winning gold at the 2026 Egypt Para Badminton International on Sunday, www.aclsports.com reports.
The tournament, held from 13 to 18 January at Cairo’s New Capital Indoor Hall, saw the 20-year-old defeat world No. 7 Halime Yildiz of Turkey 2–0 (21–10, 21–4) in the final.
This latest triumph adds to her impressive run from last year, when she defeated Sweden’s Hillevi Salomonsson 2–0 (21–1, 21–2) in the women’s SL3 final and won all earlier-round matches in straight sets.
Bolaji began her 2026 campaign with a 2–0 (21–9, 21–10) victory over [insert opening round opponent], before overcoming India’s Tulika Jadgave 2–0 (21–10, 21–7) in the second round. She then beat India’s Manasi Girishchandra Joshi 2–0 (21–11, 21–13) to reach the semifinals, where she continued her flawless run with a 2–0 (21–10, 21–11) victory over India’s Shivam Yadav Neeraj.
Celebrating on social media, Bolaji wrote:
“The new year with a gold medal at the just-concluded Egypt Para Badminton International 2026. It’s a back-to-back victory… Congratulations to me on this new milestone – hard work, consistency, and faith paying off.”
The National Sports Commission also congratulated her, saying:
“Back-to-Back Gold! The National Sports Commission congratulates Bolaji Eniola on winning gold at the SPIRO SPATHIS Egypt Para Badminton International 2026. Nigeria is proud of the standard you keep setting for para sports. Congratulations, Eniola!”
With this win, Bolaji reinforces her status as one of the top Africa’s para-badminton stars.
