Ɗan Najeriyar da ke shirin kafa tarihi a Gasar Olympics ta 2024

A yayin da zakaran wasan Badminton na Afirka Anuoluwapo Juwon Opeyori ke shirin kafa tarihi a gasar Olympics a birnin Paris, ɗan Najeriyar na jin cewa ya yi abubuwan bajinta.

Duk da cewa an haife shi a wani ƙauye a Lagos, mafi cunkoso a Najeriya, ɗan wasan mai shekara 27 ya lashe kofin nahiyar guda huɗu, fiye da kowane ɗan Afirka a baya.

Abin da ya ƙara ɗaukar hankalinsa shi ne, yana zaune ne a ƙasar da babu wani wurin da aka gina don wasan Badminton, amma duk da haka yana fatan zama ɗan Afrika na farko da zai samu ci gaba a gasar ta Olympics.

Opeyori ya shaida wa BBC cewa "Fatana shi ne na kai wasan daf da na kusa da na karshe, domin da zarar na samu nasara a wasan gaba, na yi imanin cewa hakan zai zama abin mamaki ga kowa, kuma zan ƙara samun nasara fiye da hakan.''

Tun bayan da badminton ya zama ɗaya daga cikin wasannin Olympics a 1992, wani ɗan Afirka bai taɓa zuwa zagayen gaba ba, ko da Jacob Maliekal na Afirka ta Kudu ya taɓa nasarar a matakin cikin rukuni a gasar 2016 lokacin da ya yi nasara a kan ɗan Ukraine, amma bai samu nasara ba a matakin gaba.

A halin da ake ciki a tarihin nahiyar a wasan mata sun taka rawar gani, inda Hadia Hosny ta Egypt ta fitar da abokiyar hamayyarta daga Mexico a shekarar 2008, daga nan ta kai zagaye na biyu - karon farko daga Afirka da aka samu ƙwazon a tarihin badminton a Olympics.

Duk da tarihi Opeyori - wanda ya lashe kambun gasar guda uku a farkon shekarar nan - yana tunkarar wasannin 2024 cikin ƙwarin gwiwa.

"A gaskiya bana fuskantar ƙalubale, saboda zan fuskanci 'yan wasan da suke a ƙwarewa. Don haka sune waɗanda za su fuskanci ƙalubale. Don haka da yaƙi zan tunkare su.''

'Karya tarihi da taka rawar gani daga Afirka'

Nasarorin Opeyori zuwa kololuwar wasan badminton a Afirka ya fara ne da wani salo na ba za to ba tsammani - tun da yake a zahiri yana buga wasan da a Najeriya aka fi so a lokacin.

"Ina buga kwallon kafa da abokaina lokacin da kocin ya gan mu," kamar yadda ya sanar a lokacin da muke tafiya za mu wuce filin wasanni na Rowe Park a Lagas, daga nan tarihin ya fara.

"Ina jin yana da hangen nesa saboda muna yarinta kamar yadda yara ke taka leda, amma sai ya gabatar mana da wasan nan da nan sai ya miko min abin buga badminton, ni kuma na runguma da hannu bibiyu.''

Duk da cewa bani da raket ko takalmi, Opeyori yana aron duka biyun, wanda ke ƙyaunar wasan, sai dai fata da burin ci gaba ɗan kadan ne, domin bubu fitattun filaye a nahiyar Afirka.''

Shugaban ƙungiyar Badminton ta Najeriya Francis Orbih ya shaida wa BBC cewa "Zai ba ka mamaki cewa a Najeriya ba mu da gidan wasan badminton ko guda daya ne."

"A mafi yawan wuraren taruwar jama'a, abin da ake da shi shi ne zauren taro mai yawa - don haka wasan tennis ko badminton ko gymnastics ko dambe ko ƙwallon kwando ko na hannu da sauransu a cikin ɗaki ɗaya kawai ake yi. Don haka lokacin da ake da wasan kwallon kwando na mako biyu, ba damar yin badminton, kenan hakan babban koma baya ne.''

Tafiya zuwa Asiya a cikin 2018 ita ce ta canja sana'ar Opeyori, in ji Orbih.

A cikin shekarar bayan halartar wani horo na watanni biyu a Indonesia, kasar da ke da zinare a wasan badminton a Olympics guda takwas (kuma 21 a dukkan fafatawa), Opeyori ya lashe ƙyautar farko daga hudun da yake da shi a wasan maza a gasar Afirka.

Bayan da ya lashe gasa ukun karshe, zakaran na Afirka yanzu ana hasashen zai sa a nahiyar a yi alfahari da shi a gasar Olympics.

"Idan wani zai iya karya tarihin kasa taka rawar gani a gasar to shi ne yana da damar yin hakan," in ji Orbih.

"Yana da ɗa'a, mai aiki tukuru da sha'awar wasan, kuma abin da ya kai shi wannan matakin ke nan da yake kara samun ci gaba..''

'Harkar iyalai ta Afirka’

Kafin ya shiga filin wasan badminton da ya sauya rayuwarsa, Opeyori ya kasance yana gudanar da ƙananan kasuwanci a kusa da gidansa na Legas, kamar yin bulo da sauransu.

Mahaifiyarsa kan tallafa masa da kuɗaɗen da aka samu daga sayar da kayan shago, wadda ta yi farin ciki da samun canjin wata sana’a da ya yi.

"Lokacin da ya gaya min cewa yana son buga wasan badminton, bai san cewa na taɓa buga wasan ba," Funke, wata tsohuwar wasan ta shaida wa BBC Sport Africa.

"A duk lokacin da zai yi tafiya don gasa, ko yaushe ina farin ciki kuma ina tallafa masa ta hanyar azumi da addu'a, saboda ina jin daɗin ɗana yana da sa'a sosai."

"Badminton wasa ne da yake gudu a cikin jinin jiki," in ji Opeyori.

A haƙiƙa, aikinsa ya zama al'amuran don iyali bayan da ɗan'uwansa Funsho ya ware da damarsa a wasan badminton kusan shekaru goma da suka gabata don horar da kannensa.

Funsho ya ce: "Na hakura da burina, saboda na ga dama mai kyau a gare shi."

"Na yi farin ciki saboda shi ne na daya a Afirka, kuma ina da kwarin gwiwa cewa zai karya tarihin rasshin kwazon Afirka a gasar Olympics."

Opeyori ya yi wasa a Olympics ta ƴan wasan bibiyu inda aka fitar da su a zagayen farko, kuma su kaɗai ne daga Afirka da shi da Georges Julien Paul na Mauritius.

A halin da ake ciki kuma, 'yar kasar Mauritius, Kate Foo Kune, wadda ta ci wasa a Olympic a baya, za ta buga wasan daidai har da ƴar Afirka ta Kudu, Johanita Scholtz.

Duk da haka, yadda nahiyar Asiya ta mamaye wasan - hade da kalubalen da fitattun ƴan wasan Afirka ke fuskanta - na nufin samun nasara a Paris zai zama babban aiki, wanda Opeyori zai fuskanta.

"Zan je da kwarin gwiwa, domin alummar Afirka su yi alfahari da sana'ata - a gabaki ɗayan nahiyar Afirka.

daukacin Afirka."

Anuoluwapo Opeyori zai fara da yunkurin kafa tarihi a gasar Olympics ta Paris 2024 a rukunin tare da Li Shi Feng (China) da Tobias Kunezi (Switzerland).