Esther Kolawole
Esther Omolayo Kolawole is a Nigerian wrestler. She represents Nigeria at international competitions. In August 2022, she won bronze in the women's 62kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England. Kolawole represented Nigeria at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
Career
Kolawale won the gold medal at the 2018 African Youth Games. In December 2018, she became a national wrestling champion, winning the gold medal for the 55kg freestyle at the Nigerian National Sports Festival.In February 2018, Kolawole won gold for the 61kg cadet event during the 2018 African Wrestling Championships.
Kolawole won the gold medal in her event at the 2020 African Wrestling Championships held in Algiers, Algeria. In May 2021, she failed to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympics at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Sofia, Bulgaria. In October 2021, Kolawole competed in the women's 55 kg event at the World Wrestling Championships held in Oslo, Norway where she was eliminated in her second match.
In November 2021, she placed third and won one of the bronze medal in the women's 57kg freestyle at the 2021 U23 World Wrestling Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia.
In 2022, Kolawole lost her bronze medal match in the women's 57kg event at the Yasar Dogu Tournament held in Istanbul, Turkey. She won bronze in the women's 62kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England. Kolawole won the silver medal in the women's 57kg event at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games held in Konya, Turkey. She competed in the women's 57kg event at the 2022 World Wrestling Championships held in Belgrade, Serbia.
She won one of the bronze medals in the women's 62kg event at the Grand Prix de France Henri Deglane 2023 held in Nice, France. A few months later, she won the silver medal in her event at the 2023 African Wrestling Championships held in Hammamet, Tunisia.
Kolawole competed in the women's 62kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. She was eliminated in her first match by Aisuluu Tynybekova of Kyrgyzstan.
Education
As of 2025, Kolawole attends and also competes for William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, USA.Achievements
| Year | Tournament | Location | Result | Event |
| 2020 | African Wrestling Championships | Algiers, Algeria | 1st | Freestyle 55kg |
| 2021 | World U23 Championships | Belgrade, Serbia | 3rd | Freestyle 57kg |
| 2022 | Commonwealth Games | Birmingham, England | 3rd | Freestyle 62kg |
| 2022 | Islamic Solidarity Games | Konya, Turkey | 2nd | Freestyle 57kg |
| 2023 | African Wrestling Championships | Hammamet, Tunisia | 2nd | Freestyle 62kg |
| 2024 | African Wrestling Championships | Alexandria, Egypt | 1st | Freestyle 62kg |