Africans are achievers! But that’s not even the catch. The beauty of our achievement lies in the challenges we always have to deal with to succeed. A perfect example is Eniola Bolaji, a gifted Nigerian para-badminton player who’s now ranked first globally in the sport and the first African to do so.
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Who is Eniola Bolaji?
Born 21 September 2005 in Kwara State, Nigeria, Mariam Eniola Bolaji is a Nigerian para-badminton star. She competed in the women’s SL3 category, a classification for athletes with lower-limb impairment. 
Bolaji’s journey into para-sport began as a teenager after a life-changing injury left her with a permanent leg impairment. Rather than giving up, she chose sport.
While it started as rehabilitation, her journey has consistently echoed ambition, with several records broken already. By her mid-teens, she was already competing nationally, and not long after, dominating African tournaments.
Her Steady and Limitless Rise
In 2024, she made history at the Paris Paralympic Games, becoming the first African athlete ever to win a badminton medal at the Paralympics. At just 18, she clinched bronze in the women’s singles SL3 category, defeating Ukraine’s Oksana Kozyna in straight sets (21–9, 21–9). It was Nigeria’s first medal of the Games and a landmark moment for African badminton.
But Paris was not an isolated triumph. Bolaji is also a multiple-time African champion and has consistently medalled across international tournaments. In January 2026, she successfully defended her title at the Egypt International, proving her dominance wasn’t fading.
Weeks later, she stormed to the final of the 2026 World Para-Badminton Championship in Bahrain. There, she claimed silver; the first African ever to win a medal at that championship.
Her Silver Did More Than Shine
So, it wasn’t a surprise when on February 17, 2026, the Badminton World Federation officially ranked Eniola Bolaji as World No. 1 in the women’s SL3 category. This makes her the first African athlete in her category to reach the summit of global para-badminton.
From tragedy, including the loss of her former coach in 2021, to Paralympic bronze, world championship silver, and now the very top of the rankings, Bolaji’s journey is beautiful. Beautiful because of the amount of resilience and relentless growth she’s shown despite challenges.
She is not just Africa’s best. She is the best in the world. And at just 20 years old, this may only be the beginning.
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