Sports

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan sets multiple records after winning 100m hurdles at Diamond League Final

Published

2 years ago

September 9, 2022

Nigeria’s 100m hurdles World and Commonwealth Games record holder, Tobiloba Amusan, on Thursday, continued her blistering form when she set another African record by running a new 12.42 seconds to win the 100m hurdles Diamond Trophy at the Weltklasse in Zurich, Switzerland.

Amusan defeated Olympic bronze medallist Megan Tapper who settled for another third place finish (12.55s) behind Netherland’s Naddine Visser who ran 12.51 seconds to place second.

In the process, the 24-year-old Amusan made history by becoming the first Nigerian to be crowned a Diamond League champion since the world athletics changed its name from Golden League to Diamond League.

She also becomes the second Nigerian athlete to win a World Athletics elite one day meeting event after quarter miler, Falilat Ogunkoya, won the 400m event at the Grand Prix final held in Moscow, Russia in 1998.

Amusan’s feat also meant she became only the third Nigerian to win at the Lezigrund stadion, venue of the Weltklasse Diamond League meeting, after Innocent Egbunike and Seun Ogunkoya.

The scorching 12.42 seconds Amusan set at the Diamond League final was also two hundredths of a second faster than the 12.44 seconds African record set by compatriot Glory Alozie in Monaco in 1998, meaning that the reigning World, Commonwealth and African champion has now broken two of the three Nigerian and African records once held by Alozie.

In the last two years, Amusan has smashed Alozie’s 12.74 seconds African Games record twice, the first in Rabat, Morocco, where she ran 12.69 in the semi-final heat before improving by one hundredth of a second to 12.68 seconds.

Last year in Karlsruhe, Germany the petite Amusan went close to breaking the 7.82 seconds 60m hurdles indoor record held by Alozie when she stormed to a 7.84 seconds to win at the World Indoor Tour event.

After her victory which saw her taking home the golden trophy and the $30,000 price money, an excited Amusan said:

”It’s great, it is a great feeling. Looking back, I did not win a medal at the Olympics. It was a very challenging time for me afterwards, but I never gave up, and I came out here and I was like… if I did not get a medal in Tokyo, the least I can do is to get a Diamond League Trophy – I did just that.

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Sports

TP Mazembe pip AS FAR to win African Women’s Champions League

Published

16 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Isaac Dachen

TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) became the third team to win the 2024 African Women’s Champions League after narrowly defeating AS FAR of Morocco 1-0 in the final played on Sunday at the El Jadida’s Stade Ben Ahmed El Abdi Stadium.

TP Mazembe claimed the title for the first time courtesy of a 10th minute penalty which was converted by Marlene Kasaj after AS FAR captain Aziza Rabbah handled the ball in the box.

The Congolese side should have doubled their lead six minutes later when an unmarked Merveille Kanjinga fired wide from seven yards out before the more fancied home team gradually grew into the match and looked to cancel the deficit and add to their continental triumph in 2022.

But AS FAR put in a subdued display and failed to test Mazembe’s goalkeeper Fideline Ngoy, with tournament top scorer Doha El Madani who had netted six goals in their run to the final, wasting their best chance as she sliced a first-half free-kick wide.

With the triumph, TP Mazembe carted home the giant trophy and a cheque for $600,000 (£479,000) after the prize money was increased for the fourth edition of the tournament, while the AS FAR went home with $400,000 (£319,000).

Sports

Wafcon 2024 draw throws up interesting pairings

Published

2 days ago

November 23, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The draw for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon) holding in Morocco from July 5 to 26 next year which was held on Friday, threw up some interesting match-ups to look forward to as hosts Morocco found themselves in what has been described as the group of death.

The Atlas Lionesses will have to contend with Zambia, DR Congo and Senegal in Group A, while Group B has record 11-time continental champions, the Super Falcons of Nigeria slugging it out with Tunisia, Algeria and Botswana, just as current defending champions, Banyana Banyana of South Africa will do battle with Ghana, Mali and Tanzania in Group C.

The top two sides in each group will progress to the quarter-finals, alongside the two best third-placed finishers.

Though qualification for the 2024 Wafcon was completed in December last year, the Confederation of African Football (CAF), was forced to push the finals into 2025 because of international football’s congested calendar, which included the participation of Nigeria and Zambia at the Olympics.

Morocco also staged the 2022 edition of Wafcon, ending as runners-up, and former international Fatiha Laassiri believes home support will provide “a real advantage” next year.

Wafcon 2024 group draw with world ranking in brackets:

Group A: Morocco (hosts, 59), Zambia (62), Senegal (83), DR Congo (102).

Group B: Nigeria (36), Tunisia (78), Algeria (84), Botswana (153).

Group C: South Africa (holders, 50), Ghana (66), Mali (81), Tanzania (145).