Tobiloba Ayomide Amusan has made history as the first Nigerian track and field athlete and the second in history to successfully defend a Commonwealth Games 100m hurdles title.

The petite, 25 year old also set a new 12.30 seconds Games Record on the way to winning the event’s gold.

Amusan, the reigning World champion and world record holder in the event also became the first Nigerian track and field athlete to win gold at two editions of the Games.

With the gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Amusan has now become the only Nigerian athlete in history to complete a grand slam of titles at the continental, Commonwealth and world levels after winning gold at the 22nd African Athletics championships in Mauritius in June and the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA last month.

Amusan’s gold has now brought to 10 the number of gold medals won by Nigeria so far, one short of the 11 won in 1994, 2010 and 2014.

It is also one short of the three gold medals won by the track and field team in 1990,1994 and 2014 with the 4x100m relays and the women’s long jump final coming up later Sunday afternoon and evening respectively.

Sports Minister Sunday Dare is optimistic Team Nigeria will be very competitive at the 2022 Commonwealth Games starting in Birmingham, United Kingdom next week.

The Minister said Nigerian athletes are fit and ready for the Games because the past few months have sharpened and toughened them for the challenges ahead.

Speaking during a farewell dinner organised for Team Nigeria by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing at her residence in Abuja on Thursday, Dare assured that Nigeria will excel in Birmingham.

His words: “The last few months have toughened our athletes. As I speak now, some of them are in Eugene, Oregon, United States of America for the World Athletics Championships. Before now, some were in Mauritius for the African Senior Athletics Championships.

“By being part of these competitions, I can say that Team Nigeria is fit and ready. We will compete with determination and fairly. As a Ministry, we have tried to provide resources as much as we can afford for our athletes to be well prepared and we are sure of great success.”

In her welcome address, the British High Commissioner, Catriona Laing expressed delight at the opportunity to host Team Nigeria to a farewell reception, extending special appreciation to the Sports Minister Sunday Dare and the president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee(NOC) Engineer Habu Gumel for making it happen.

According to her, “I know the Team Nigeria athletes will do this nation proud. I know they have worked extremely hard, put in so many hours of training and competing to represent Nigeria.

“Do not forget those sacrifices you have made, and use that memory, that muscle memory, that energy to pull through your most challenging moments. In the end it is only you who can give your best.”

Describing Birmingham, the venue of the Commonwealth Games, as a modern and bustling metropolis and one of the most diverse cities as well as being a truly multicultural destination, Laing revealed that it has thousands of members of the Nigerian diaspora living there so African and Nigerian delicacies would be within reach, adding in the pidgin language that “I know say una go do well. Make una carry plenty medals come o!”

In his own remarks, the president of the Nigeria Olympic Committee(NOC) Engineer Habu Gumel charged the Nigerian athletes to be good ambassadors.

He thanked Catriona Laing for hosting the team and expressed confidence in the ability of Birmingham to host the rest of the Commonwealth successfully.

Nigeria will be competing in nine sports at the Games. The sports are; Athletics, Boxing, Judo, Wrestling, Weightlifting, Table Tennis, Para Athletics, Para Powerlifting and Para Table Tennis.

Nigeria’s Youth and Sports Minister, Hon. Sunday Dare attended the 5th edition of the Commonwealth Youth Ministerial Task Force meeting on Thursday, in Kigali, Rwanda.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in the Rwandan Capital city of Kigali.

The three-day Commonwealth Youth Forum (CYF) which started on Saturday brought together about 350 young persons from across the Commonwealth to discuss the adverse impacts of climate change, conflict and COVID-19, which disproportionately hit young people by cutting employment, training inter alia.

The forum will address thematic areas such as governance and the rule of law, technology, skills, innovation, sustainability, health and trade. It will also include the launch of a historic collaboration between the Commonwealth and the world’s largest youth organisations to create the ‘Commonwealth Alliance for Quality Youth Leadership.

Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari is also in Rwanda for #CHOGM22.

The theme for CHOGM 2022 is ‘Delivering a Common Future: Connecting, Innovating, Transforming,’ and the Heads of Government are expected to reaffirm their commitment to upholding the Commonwealth Charter, which focuses on democracy, human rights, the rule of law, as well as economic opportunities and sustainable development.

Former Kwara State Table Tennis coach and Commonwealth champion, Kasali Lasisi has again commended the state Governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for setting mercenaries in motion for the staging of the 7th Kwara State Sports Festival, adding that the event has opened new sports development doors for the state and Nigeria.

While analyzing the situation, Coach Lasisi described Mallam AbdulRahzaq as a sports loving Governor who is very much interested in developing sports, going by the way he approved the staging of the festival that was last held 15 years ago.

‘Other events which happened before and after the festival in the state have shown that more development will be witnessed in the sector during his tenure.

‘The Governor did not only support the Games financially, he was part of the show, as he was always present at the stadium to watch the games. That was a good one from him’, he said