University of Bath graduate Tobi Sijuade qualifies to represent Nigeria at Paris Olympics

UNIVERSITY of Bath recent graduate Tobi Sijuade has qualified to represent Nigeria in the 50m freestyle swimming event at the forthcoming Paris Olympics after making to clock the official required time for the event just in time for the games.

Between March 26 and August 11, Paris will host the 33rd ever Olympic Games where Nigeria will be competing in a variety of events but the country's two biggest gold medal hopefuls are the female football team the Super Falcons and 100 metres hurdles sensation Tobi Amusan.  However, Sijuade, 22, like his namesake, also has his eyes set in silverware and is leaving no stone unturned to give himself a chance to get on the medals rostrum.

Swimmer Sijuade, who continues to train full-time with the University of Bath Swimming Club, graduated from the institution in 2023 with a degree in Health and Exercise Science. He will now be competing against his fellow club member and former training partner Ben Proud of Team GB in Paris.

Sijuade said: "I am ecstatic, I've been swimming competitively for 13 years and it's very exciting to know that I'm going to be out there in Paris, competing against the big boys that I've watched on TV for many years. I want to go out there, show people what I am capable of and do the best job possible for Nigeria.

"To have three members of our squad qualify for Paris shows the depth of talent we have and that the coaches are getting results. It's so nice to see the smiles on people's faces after all the work. It's good to go out there together, represent our countries together and have fun together. This is my fourth year on the programme and I've loved every moment of it."

Sijuade, who is supported by the University's Full Time Athlete Programme, is coached by Mark Skimming, the University's head of swimming, who has worked with Olympians including Proud and reigning champion Anna Hopkin. Mr Skimming also coaches the Pentathlon GB squad, including Tokyo 2020 gold medallists Joe Choong and Kate French, both of whom will defend their titles in Paris.

Nine swimmers trained at the University of Bath will be at Paris 2024. Reigning champions Tom Dean and Freya Anderson will be joined by Aquatics GB Bath Performance Centre teammates Kieran Bird, Jacob Whittle and Economics and Maths student Leah Crisp, while Suzanna Hext is competing at the Paralympics. A-level student Tilly Collymore, who will be representing Grenada in the 100m freestyle, is also training with Skimming in the final build-up.

Other members of the University of Bath Swimming Club who will be representing African nations in Paris include chemical engineering student Henrique Mascarenhas will represent Angola in the 100m freestyle and Ridhwan Mohamed, who is studying automotive engineering with Business Management. He will be competing for Kenya in the 400m freestyle event.