Delta State taekwondo athlete, Josephine Esuku, won her fourth medal on Tuesday in her final event of the combat sports competition at the ongoing National Sports Festival in Asaba, Delta State.
Remarkably, Esuku won medals in all her four events in taekwondo inside the multipurpose indoor sports hall of the Stephen Keshi Stadium, Asaba.
She told our correspondent that she had set a target of four gold medals but was happy to have ended her events with four medals.
“My target here was four gold medals since I knew I would participate in four events and I was able to come close to my goals. I won three gold and one silver.
“I’m excited to have won all these medals. I am very grateful to God because many times we set targets and don’t make it, but I’m excited that I came this close,” she said.
As the defending champion in the Individual Poomsae event, she was keen to defend her title and also shared how she prepared for the tournament.
“Well, I feel very elated because I was able to successfully defend my title being the winner at last year’s festival.
“I prepared hard for this and my mind was in the right place, so it was more of an ‘in-between’ for me because when I perceive it as tough, it becomes tough,” she said.
The 36-year-old won a gold in the Individual Poomsae, Pair Poomsae and the Team Poomsae, as well as claiming silver in Kyurugi.
Esuku however does not plan to retire yet and wants to win more gold.
“I don’t intend to retire anytime soon, I will always aim for gold. My nickname is Jojo Gold, so I will always keep that standard of winning gold medals,” she said.
