Nigeria’s Eniola Bolaji won a silver medal at the 2026 British & Irish Para Badminton International on Sunday in Dublin, Ireland.
The Paralympic bronze medallist and World Championships silver medallist lost 2-0 (21-18, 23-21) to Japan’s Shino Kawai in the women’s SL3 singles final at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena.
Bolaji had a strong path to the final, winning all her group stage matches. She beat India’s Neeraj, 21-15, 21-3, and France’s Milena Surreau, 21-19, 21-13.
She continued her great performance by defeating Türkiye’s Halime Yildiz 21-16, 21-7 in the quarter-finals. Then she moved past Australia’s Celine Vinot 21-7, 21-9 in the semi-finals.
But Kawai was too strong in the final, stopping Bolaji from defending the title she won in 2025.
Despite the loss, Francis Orbih, the President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria, praised Bolaji for her performance. Orbih called her showing in Dublin “fantastic” and said he believes she can beat Kawai in future matches.
He mentioned that the federation is already planning an overseas training programme to help Bolaji improve and close the gap with Kawai, who took her title as the world No. 1.
“It was a fantastic performance and I am very happy with what Eniola achieved. I am motivated to intensify efforts to ensure she trains outside the country because it is only a matter of time before she starts beating the Japanese player, Shino Kawai.
“I have congratulated her for setting the tone once again, and we are looking forward to arranging a three-month training tour abroad to further improve her game.”
Orbih also thanked the National Sports Commission and the Badminton Confederation Africa for their support. He acknowledged the sponsorship from Yonex and GIG Logistics for Bolaji’s development.
He is hopeful that with ongoing support and more international exposure, Bolaji will keep challenging for major titles in future global competitions.
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