Nigerian-Canadian former wrestler, Daniel Igali, is a man with many passions. The Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medalist is a wrestling coach. Igali’s outstanding leadership attributes in the rapid development of wrestling in Nigeria and Canada is indeed commendable. Since his retirement from wrestling, the Simon Fraser University (SFU)-trained criminologist has continued to be an inspiration to athletes in his country of birth and his adopted country. Igali won Canada’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in wrestling in 2000 and remains the country’s only male Olympic gold medalist in the sport.
Igali was born on 3 February 1974 at Inewari, a community located in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medalist was raised with 20 siblings in the Southern part of Nigeria. Since wrestling is part of Ijaw culture, Igali learnt to wrestle as a small boy. He was inspired by a visit to his village by famed Olympic wrestler, Macauley Appah, and deciding then that he wanted to go to the Olympics.
The young Igali knew then and there that he had to work for success and to overcome anything that stood in his way. He won his first national title in freestyle in 1990 and again in 1991, 1993 and 1994. He was also the Nigerian Greco-Roman champion in 1991 and 1993 and African freestyle champion in 1993 and 1994. As a young man, Igali climbed to the national peak of wrestling as the captain of the Nigerian team.
In 1994, Igali captained Nigerian wrestling team in the Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada where he eventually gained citizenship in 1998. Being a multipotentialite, Igali did not find it difficult to combine wrestling career and education. Therefore he enrolled at Douglas College before transferring to SFU to study criminology. He wrestled for Douglas College, and then SFU, in British Columbia and was undefeated over 116 matches at the collegiate level through 1999. Along the way, he was the Canadian national Greco-Roman welterweight champion in 1997 and national freestyle champion in 1998 and fourth in that division at the 1998 World Championships. Additionally, Igali earned All-American three times and the two Gorriaran Awards (1997, 1999) for most pins in the least total time.
Igali went on to represent Canada at the Pan American Games, Commonwealth Games, and Olympic Games. His career highlight was winning an Olympic gold medal in 2000 in men’s 69 kg freestyle wrestling. Two years later, at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, Igali amassed one additional title, a gold medal in men’s 74 kg.
In 2000, Igali was awarded the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s top athlete of the year. He was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and later inducted into Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 2012. Igali was one of the recipients of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards presented by Canadian Immigrant Magazine in 2012. His wrestling career is highlighted in a television documentary directed by Joel Gordon called, “Wrestling with Destiny: The Life and Times of Daniel Igali”. The biographical documentary film was broadcast by CBC Television in 2004 as an episode of the Life and Times TV series. In September 2022, Igali was elected as a board member of United World Wrestling (UWW)for a five-year term.
Since his retirement from wrestling, Igali has used his Olympic status to help people in Nigeria. In 2002, he established the Daniel Igali Foundation with the dream of opening a school in his native Eniwari, which he accomplished in 2006. He also established “Maureen Matheny Academy”, a school focused to combine sports with academics.
A tireless advocate for change in his native country, Igali has coached the Nigerian wrestling team at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. His desire to make meaningful contributions to wrestling in Nigeria made him
to hunt for talents knowing full well that the bulk of Nigerian wrestlers are from his home state, he used his influence to help in building a standard wrestling gymnasium in the state. The world-class facility was applauded by the governing body of wrestling in Africa, which approved continental championships to be held in the state.
Spurred on by Igali’s contributions to wrestling in Nigeria, the country’s female wrestlers won six gold medals in their various categories at the recently-held 13th African Games in Ghana. Olympic silver medalist, Blessing Oborodudu led by example as the captain of the Nigerian wrestlers to defeat Blandine Nyeh Ngiri of Cameroon 14-4. Multiple world medalists, Odunayo Adekuoroye followed in Oborodudu’s footsteps by beating Zineb Hassaoune of Morocco with a pinfall. Commonwealth champion and multiple African champion, Mercy Genesis, did not disappoint as she dispatched her Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Nada 7-0.
Ebi Biogos 72kg all won gold medals at the senior African Wrestling Championships in Alexandria. Sandwiched between them is Daniel Igali
African Games debutant, Christiana Ogunsanya, produced a dominant display in the 53 kg to outclass her opponent Nogona Bakayoko of Ivory Coast 11-0. Hannah Rueben added more celebration to the already agog atmosphere after she defeated Amy Youin of Ivory Coast. Esther Kolawole made it six gold medals for Nigeria as she won in the 62 kg weight class. In addition, their male counterparts added three silver and two bronze medals to the tally for Nigeria’s wrestling team at the Games. Reacting to the team’s medal haul, Igali gave kudos to the female wrestlers for complimenting their efforts in training with their incredible showing at the female event, adding that the victory was the result of hard work and dedication.
As the clock ticks down to the Paris 2024 Olympics, five more Nigerian wrestlers qualified for the Games in their various events in March at the 2024 African and Oceania Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament in Alexandria, Egypt. The five wrestlers joined Adekuoroye, who secured qualification in 2023 after winning a bronze medal in the women’s 57 kg category at the World Championships in Belgrade. The five wrestlers are Oborodudu, Rueben, Kolawole, Ogunsanya and the American-born Africa Games silver medalist, Ashton Mutuwa.
Igali’s contribution to wrestling in Nigeria will be forever etched on the minds of sports-loving Nigerians and the wrestlers whose lives he has touched. Felicitating Igali on his birthday anniversary last February, NWF Secretary General, Mohammed Maigidansanma, thanked the Olympic champion for his positive energy, patriotism and the invaluable contributions he has brought in manning a very important federation like NWF. The NWF scribe commended Igali for his contributions to nation-building, especially to Nigerian sportsmen.
References:
- Daniel Igali, BC Sports Hall of Fame, 2023-06-29
- “Daniel Igali”Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, CANADIAN HISTORY AND SOCIETY THROUGH THE LENS OF SPORT
- Daniel Igali, Simon Fraser University Athletics
Edited by Kehinde Fagbuaro
