Nigeria's women's team won a bronze medal in the beach volleyball event at the ongoing 13th African Games in Ghana.
Nigeria defeated Rwanda 2-0 (22-20, 21-12) in the women's third-place match played at the Labome Beach resort.
The duo of Esther Mbah and Pamela Bawa were fan favorites, outplaying Rwanda in the presence of top volleyball dignitaries.
Mbah and Bawa, the youngest players in the beach volleyball event, gave the Rwandan players a tough time from the start.
An elated Esther Mbah said winning a bronze medal at the African Games was a dream come true.
She expressed gratitude to the President of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Engineer Musa Nimrod, for his constant support of her dreams and aspirations.
Mbah said, "I'm very excited to win a bronze medal despite playing against highly rated players in the beach volleyball event. Our coach told us we could beat the Rwandan team because they weren't better than us. We executed everything our coaches instructed, and the result is the bronze medal.
"I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in Nigeria who has been praying for us since the beach volleyball competition began, especially the President of the Nigeria Volleyball Federation, Engineer Musa Nimrod. Engineer Nimrod is like a father to us; he has always believed in us, even when we doubted ourselves.
"I never dreamed of traveling outside the country, but volleyball has taken me to places I only saw on television. My life has been transformed since becoming a volleyball player, and I encourage other ladies to take sports seriously."
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