Bolaji Wins Silver at the 2026 British & Irish Para Badminton Championships

Yesterday, Nigeria's Eniola Bolaji secured a silver medal at the 2026 British & Irish Para Badminton International.

The Paralympic bronze and World Championship silver medallist fell 2-0 (21-18, 23-21) to Japan's Shino Kawai in the SL3 women's singles final, held at the Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena in Dublin.

Bolaji's path to the final included decisive victories over India's Neeraj 2-0 (21-15, 21-3) and France's Milena Surreau 2-0 (21-19, 21-13) in the group stage.

The multiple African champion maintained her strong performance, beating Türkiye's Halime Yildiz 2-0 (21-16, 21-7) in the quarter‑finals and then defeating Australia's Celine Vinot 2-0 (21-7, 21-9) in the semi‑finals.

President of the Badminton Federation of Nigeria (BFN), Francis Orbih, praised Bolaji for another outstanding international performance.

Orbih called her display in Dublin fantastic and expressed confidence that the Nigerian star can defeat Shino Kawai in future contests.

He revealed that the federation is already planning an overseas training programme to help Bolaji close the gap with Shino, who has taken the world number one spot. Orbih said:

“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 praised the support the federation received from the National Sports Commission (NSC) and the Badminton Confederation Africa (BCA), and acknowledged sponsorship from Yonex and GIG Logistics for the athlete's development.

He expressed optimism that sustained support and international exposure will enable Bolaji to continue challenging for major titles in upcoming global competitions.