Sports
Kalu Hails Amusan’s Gold Medal Feat
Former Governor of Abia State and Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has congratulated Tobi Amusan, for winning the women’s 100 metres hurdles in Oregon, United State of America, on Sunday.
Amusan is the first Nigerian athlete to win a Gold medal at the World Athletics Championship.
Kalu in a statement on Monday described Amusan, who is a graduate of University of Texas as a talented and skillful sprinter, while urging her to sustain the feat in future sporting events.
The Pillar of Sports in Africa called on the younger generation to embrace sports as a profession, adding that Amusan’s performance would inspire the womenfolk.
Kalu expressed happiness over the superlative outing of Amusan, adding that the athlete had done Nigeria proud.
He said, “I am elated with the record breaking performance of Tobi Amusan, who clinched a gold medal after winning the women’s 100 metres hurdles at the World Athletics Championship.
“The athlete’s victory is a welcome and timely development for Nigeria.
She has shown the world that Nigerians are talented.
Amusan has indeed made Nigerians proud with her performance”.
Kalu wished the sprinter continues with her success in her career.
Team Nigeria finished joint-13th on the medals table with Amusan’s Gold and Ese Brume’s Silver in the Women’s Long Jump.
Team USA won 33 medals comprising 13 Gold, seven Silver and 11 Bronze medals to win the championship, while Ethiopia finished second with ten medals of which four are Gold, four Silver and two Bronze.
Jamaica finished third with two Gold, seven Silver and one Bronze.
Iwobi spoke to Tidesports source ahead of Nigeria’s crunch playoff semi-final against Gabon on Thursday, November 13, in Rabat, Morocco.
The 28-year-old was reacting to Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying campaign that saw the Eagles finish second in Group C behind South Africa’s Bafana Bafana.
“We’ve managed to rescue ourselves from the dead,” Iwobi told Tidesports source.
We know we have the players and the abilities to compete against any other country in the world.”
The Fulham star pointed to Nigeria’s star power, highlighting African Footballer of the Year winners Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen as proof of the squad’s quality.
“We have last year’s African best player (Ademola Lookman), the year before that (Victor Osimhen),” he said.
“It’ll be a shame if we don’t make it, but we have a lot of confidence. We just have to prove it to ourselves.”
Nigeria’s path to the United States, Canada and Mexico has been turbulent, with two coaches departing during the early stages of qualifying before Éric Chelle steadied the ship to steer the Super Eagles into November’s CAF playoffs.
Four nations from the continent – Nigeria, Cameroon, DR Congo and Gabon – will vie for a solitary spot to compete in next March’s inter-confederation playoffs, with a view to joining the already nine qualified African nations at the Finals.
It would mark Iwobi’s second appearance at the World Cup Finals and the Super Eagles’ first since the 2018 edition of the competition.
Back then, Iwobi featured in all three games as Nigeria was knocked out in the group stage.
The Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and Publisher of the Atlantic Bell Online medium, Mr. Celestine Ogolo has advised sports writers in Nigeria to diversify in sports writing and not to concentrate on football reporting alone.
The Deputy National President of Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Bonny Nyong has expressed commitment to support sports development and move SWAN forward.