Nojim Maiyegun, Nigeria’s first Olympic medalist and former boxer, has died at the age of 83. His death was confirmed by Rudolfine F. Soultan, a close friend, in a heartfelt Facebook post on Monday.
“My Jimmy died. I can’t say more about this right now because it’s just horrible. The day after tomorrow, we would have been together for 17 years,” Soultan wrote, expressing her grief.
According to reports from The Cable, Maiyegun passed away on Monday morning at his home in Vienna, Austria, after battling an undisclosed illness for several months.
Maiyegun made history in 1964 when, at the age of 23, he won Nigeria’s first Olympic medal—a bronze—in the light-heavyweight boxing category at the Tokyo Olympics. His path to the podium included a swift victory over Great Britain’s William Robinson, whom he defeated in just one minute and 59 seconds of the second round. He then advanced to the quarter-finals, where he defeated Denmark’s Tom Bogs, before losing to France’s Joseph Gonzalez in the semi-final, earning a bronze medal alongside Poland’s Józef Grzesiak.
In 1966, Maiyegun further solidified his place in sports history by winning another bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games in Kingston, Jamaica.
After an accomplished amateur career, Maiyegun left Nigeria in 1971 to pursue professional boxing. In his professional career, he fought 16 times, securing 12 wins, with 10 victories coming by knockout.
