By Harry Awurumibe, Editor, Abuja Bureau
More congratulatory messages have come the way of Tobi Amusan for winning the Women’s 100 meters Hurdles Gold medal in the early hours of Monday at The World Athletics Championship 2022 in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America (USA).
She set a new World Record in the semi-final of the athletics event and becoming the first Nigerian to win a World Championship Gold.
Nigeria-born Amusan made history in Oregon Meet by breaking two World Records in one day by running 12. 12 and 12.06 seconds in the 100 meters Hurdles race at the championship.
On the strength of the win the Nigeria National Anthem was played at medals presentations ceremony to the hearing the world.
First to hail the champion was Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari who congratulated Amusan for achieving such greet feat at the world stage thereby putting the country’s name in the world map of Athletics.
The President, in a release issued Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, joined millions of Nigerians in celebrating the outstanding feat by a compatriot and two-time African Games champion, who in one night stunned the athletics world with her superlative and stellar performance.
The President thanked the track superstar for making the Nigerian national anthem resonate again from the international podium, leaving the nation with the excitement and unforgettable memories of tears of joy and triumph; hope and victory; incredulity and belief.
President Buhari said the legendary career and achievements of the golden girl will continue to inspire the upcoming generations of Nigerian athletes to achieve spectacular success.
The President also commended Ese Brume for representing Nigeria with honour and pride, winning Silver medal in the Women’s Long Jump event.
Brume leaped 7.02m to win Silver and Nigeria’s second medal on the last day of The World Athletics Championships in USA.
The Silver medal is an improvement on the Bronze she won she won in Doha in 2019.
Brume, Olympic Bronze medallist finished behind Germany’s Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo who leaped 7.12m. Brazil’s Leticia Oro Melo jumped 6.89m to take Bronze.
Also elated by the achievements of the two Nigerian athletes in Oregon,
former Director General of the Federal Ministry of Sports and Youth Development, Dr. Amos Adamu who has congratulated the duo of Amusan and Brume.
“Congratulations to our Golden girl Amusan, AFN President and Nigerians, I am very proud of this performance, Congratulations, Dr. Amos Adamu said.
Adamu whose tenure at Sports Ministry witnessed the good old days of Nigerian sports as the country’s sportsmen and women achieved successes in different sports including football, athletics, weightlifting and many others, commended Amusan and Brume for their hardworks which he said have paid off handsomely.
According to the retired astute sports administrator who climbed from being a Sole Administrator of Nigeria Football Association (NFA) when Nigeria qualified for her first FIFA World Cup final in USA in 1994 to the highest position in world football as Executive Member of both CAF and FIFA, however advised Amusan and Brume not to relent in their quest to be the best in the world for a long time.
