By Akinwale Kasali
Nigeria’s sprint sensation, Oluwatobiloba Amusan has made history by smashing the 100 Meter Hurdles World record, making Nigeria proud in the highly competitive competition.
And as she, and the Athletics World stood for Nigeria’s National Anthem, Amosun was overcome with emotion. She sang along, as tears streamed down her cheeks.
She had earlier broken the world record in the semi-finals where she ran 12.12 Seconds, and again in the final when she broke her own record to set a new world record of 12.06, winning the gold medal at the just concluded World Athletics Championship in Oregon, USA.
With the victory, Amusan went home with the sum of $100,000 prize money.
She also became the first Nigerian, ever, to win a Gold Medal at any World Athletics Championship.
Also, Nigeria’s Long Jumper, Ese Brume, won Silver Medal behind Germany’s Malaika Mihambo, who leaped 7.12m as against Brume’s 7.02m to win the gold medal.
Celebrating the achievements of the duo, the President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria AFN, Tonobok Okowa, congratulated Amusan, the newly crowned world record holder and gold medalist in the Women 100 meters hurdles event, who broke the record twice in one night as she ran 12.12 seconds in the semi-final and 12. 06 second in the finals to claim gold.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state has also congratulated Commonwealth Games defending champion Brume on her silver medal feat in the Female Long Jump event after leaping 7.02 meters to place second in the event.
The AFN President described the successes of the duo as unprecedented in the annals of Nigeria’s participation at the World Athletics Championship as it was the first time Nigeria was winning gold at the Championship.
He asserted that Amusan and Brume had further given the AFN the fillip to sustain its developmental programs aimed at discovering, grooming and exposing talented young Nigerian athletes to the international sports community.
Okowa opined that Amusan and Brume had also inspired young Nigerian athletes to believe that they can become world champions, stressing that they had brought glory to Nigeria at a time the nation was in need of something to cheer. He enjoined the duo not to relent but sustain the tempo ahead of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham which commences on Friday.
The AFN President commended Team Nigeria Athletes for their performances saying they showed that they had what it took to become champions.
He however enjoined them to put the disappoint of the World Athletics Championship behind and focus on the forthcoming Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, adding that they have another opportunity to show that they can be champions, assuring them of the AFN’s commitment to providing adequate welfare and the platform to enable them excel.
