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

Cameroon’s boxing icon Francis Ngannou loses 15-month-old son

Published

5 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Cameroon’s heavyweight boxer and former UFC champion, Francis Ngannou, has been thrown into mourning with the loss of his 15-month-old son, Kobe.

The boxer who announced the demise of the infant in a post on X on Monday, he and his family have been hit by the blow following the death of the toddler.

“Too soon to leave but yet he’s gone,” Ngannou wrote.

“My little boy, my mate, my partner Kobe was full of life and joy. Now, he’s laying without life. I shouted his name over and over but he’s not responding.

“I was my best self next to him and now I have no clue of who I am. Life is so unfair to hit us where it hurts the most.”

The fighter’s manager, Marquel Martin, who also confirmed the death of the boy, posted online saying that he along with millions of others will be praying for the Cameroonian.

As the sad news continued to spread, martial arts colleague, Conor McGregor, was among the first to send his condolences to the 37-year-old boxer and former Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) star.

“I am so sorry to hear of your loss Francis, my prayers are with you and your family at this time,” the Irishman wrote on X.

Ngannou’s former MMA coach, Eric Nicksick also sent an emotional message too.

“It’s been a heavy few days, words can’t express the pain we all feel for the Ngannou family during this time,” Nicksick said.

Sports

Nigeria’s football federation appoints Finidi George as Super Eagles coach

Published

2 days ago

April 29, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has approved the appointment of former international, Finidi George, as the new head coach of the Super Eagles.

The board of the Federation
on Monday, approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint George, a former Eagles winger, as the manager of the Nigeria’s men national football team.

Before his appointment, George, served as assistant to José Peseiro before the Portuguese voluntarily resigned from post after leading the Eagles to the final of 2023 Africa Cup of Nations where they lost 2-1 to host Cote d’Ivoire.

Following Peseiro’s departure, George took charge of the squad in interim capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco last month.

He led the squad to a 2-1 victory over Ghana in the first match but lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.

The 52-year-old George was a member of the Eagles team of the early 90s fondly called the “Golden Generation” that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and qualified Nigeria for its first ever senior FIFA World Cup in 1994.

During his playing career, George starred for Sharks of Port Harcourt and Calabar Rovers in Nigeria before moving abroad where he played for Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Real Betis of Spain.

He won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals and also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.

George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks.