…Amusan retains 100m hurdles title in style
Team Nigeria on Sunday, July 7, built on the 14 medals garnered on Saturday as they won three additional gold and one bronze medal in athletics to produce their best ever performance in Commonwealth Games history.
At the time of press, Team Nigeria in seventh position had won 12 gold, 8 silver and 14 bronze medals to effectively erase the previous record of 11 gold, 11 silver and 14 bronze medals at the 2014 games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Yesterday, reigning world champion, Tobiloba Ayomide Amusan didn’t disappoint her teeming fans as she made another history as the first Nigerian track and field athlete and the second in history to successfully defend a Commonwealth Games 100m hurdles title.
In another breath-taking performance, the 25 year old also set a new 12.30 seconds Games Record on the way to winning the event’s gold.
Amusan wasn’t done as she joined the women’s 4x100m relay quartet to win her second gold medal of the day and Team Nigeria’s first ever Commonwealth Games gold in event.
Team Nigeria women’s 4x100m quartet of Tobi Amusan, Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma and Grace Nwokocha achieved the feat in record breaking fashion, running 42.10 seconds to break the barely one month old 42.22 seconds African record they set in Oregon, USA at the World Athletics championships.
Amusan started the historic run with a brilliant first leg before handing over to Ofili who ensured Nigeria maintained the advantage before giving the baton to Chukwuma, the individual 100m finalist.
She then ran the curve perfectly and handed over to reigning Nigerian 100m queen, Nwokocha who maintained the advantage despite the threat by Great Britain’s anchor leg runner, Darly Neita to bring home Team Nigeria’s first women’s 4 x 100m relay gold.
The men’s team of Udodi Onwuzurike, Favour Ashe, Alaba Akintola and Raymond Ekevwo also made history with the bronze medal win.
The medal is the first by the men’s 4x100m relay team since 1982.
World’s silver medalist in long jump, Ese Brume who missed the last edition in Gold Coast then put the icing on the cake when she leapt to a Games Record of 7.00m to win Nigeria’s third gold medal of the day.
The closing ceremony for the 2022 Commonwealth Games which started on July 28 will be held today in Birmingham, England.
