By Akinwale Kasali
Nigeria’s Team to the Commonwealth Games which held in Birmingham has made history. Team Nigeria garnered a total of 12 Gold , nine Silver and 14 Bronze Medals.
It placed a respectable sixth on the overall medals’ table in the game which came to a sizzling end Sunday night.
The final day started on a high note for Nigeria when its star athlete, 100 meters hurdles World Champion, Tobi Amusan, basking in the euphoria of her record breaking feat at the World Athletics Championship in Oregon, United States of America, a few weeks ago, once again set another record – a new Commonwealth record.
She ran 12.30 seconds to shatter the age long record. She also became the first Athlete in her discipline to defend her Commonwealth title won four years at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
Devynne Charlton finished a distant second to win silver for the Bahamas while Cindy Sember whose father is Nigerian won bronze for Great Britain.
In the 4× 400 meters relay, Women, Amusan struck Gold again when she was drafted in to run the lead leg. Team Nigeria struck another gold medal in the race.
Amusan, along with Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Grace Nwokocha, clocked a new African record of 42.10 seconds to place first ahead of the host nation, England, and the Island of Jamaica.
Amusan, who was drafted in for Joy Udo-Gabriel barely one hour after retaining her 100 meters hurdles title in record time, started the race strong for Nigeria before smoothly passing the baton to 200 meters silver medallist, Favour Ofili.
Ofili maintained Nigeria’s pace before handing over to Chukwuma who built a substantial lead ahead of the chasing pack.
England, led off by Asha Philip, Imani Lansiquot and Bianca Williams delivered the baton into the final 100 meters with ground to make up on Nigeria.
In the Long Jump event, Nigeria’s Ese Brume Ese Brume won Gold for Nigeria at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Brume had a no-jump on her first attempt but bounced back right away to jump 6.99m to take the lead in the final and set a new Games Record.
She added no jump, 6.99m, 6.81m, 6.99m, and 6.96m in her subsequent jumps but none of her opponents could match or surpass her thereby securing gold with a jump to spare.
However, on her very last attempt, Brume jumped 7.00 meters for another Games record to become the first woman to jump that far in the history of the Commonwealth Games.
Brume has been, unarguably, Nigeria’s most consistent athlete over the past four years.
She burst onto the scene by winning gold as an 18-year-old at the 2014 commonwealth games in Glasgow but could not defend her title four years ago in the Gold Coast in Australia.
However, since then, She has been on a consistent run, winning bronze at the World Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019. She followed that up by winning another bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
She took it up a notch higher by winning silver at the World indoors in March before matching the feat on the biggest athletics stage in Eugene, Oregon two weeks ago.
In the men’s version of the 4x100m relay, Team Nigeria settled for bronze as the quartet of Udodi Onwuzuruike, who replaced Seye Ogunlewe, along with Favour Ashe, Alaba Akintola, and Raymond Ekevwo, clocked 38.81 seconds to place 3rd.
Defending champions, England, retained their 4×100 meters relay gold as Ojie Edoburun anchored home a blazing display.
Edoburun, who was called up to the team in place of the injured Reece Prescod, finished clear of Trinidad and Tobago in 38.35 seconds.
Jona Efoloko replaced Adam Gemili on the opening leg with Zharnel Hughes and Nethaneel Mitchell-Blake impressing in the middle of the race.
With this feat, Team Nigeria has set a record and surpassed its achievement in the 1994 Commonwealth Games, where it won 11 Gold Medal, by winning 12 Gold Medals, Nine Silver and 14 Bronze at 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
