The Women Leading Nigeria’s Rise on the Global Sports Map
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Oluwatobiloba ‘Tobi’ Amusan: 100m Hurdles
If you are a fan of athletics, then you probably know of Tobi Amusan. The Nigerian hurdler etched her name in the history books in 2022 by setting a new world record of 12.12 seconds in the 100m hurdles semi-final at the World Athletics Championship. She followed that up with a 12.06 in the final which would have been a new record but for a tailwind of +2.5 m/s.
The 27-year-old became the first Nigerian to claim a Diamond League trophy in 2021 and went on to break the African record a year later. In 2021 at the Olympics in Sydney, Amusan became the first Nigerian since the legendary Glory Alozie to reach the finals of the 100m hurdles at the Games.
Amusan spent two years at the University of Texas and won the national title at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships and also won five Conference USA championships. Last year, the Nigerian star was inducted into the University of Texas at El Paso’s (UTEP) Hall of Fame for her exceptional achievements on and off the track.
Ese Brume: Long Jump
In track and field, Ese Brume has established herself as one of Nigeria’s greatest athletes in history for her achievements in the long jump discipline. The 28-year-old’s journey began in 2012 at the Nigerian Championships where she finished in a respectable sixth place, but her stock began to rise a year later when she earned silver at the national level.
Since then, Brume has skyrocketed to fame. She has secured bronze medals at the World Championships (2019 and 2022) and gold at the Commonwealth Games (2014 and 2022), while also winning gold three times in a row at the African Championships. However, her crowing achievement was the bronze she won at the 2020 Olympic Games.
Check out the best online betting sites for athletics.Asisat Oshoala: Womens Football
Hailing from Ikorodu in Lagos, Asisat Oshoala began her journey in football at FC Robo in 2009, but her major breakthrough came in 2015 when she was signed by Liverpool Ladies. Stints at Arsenal and Dalian Quanjian followed before she finally found what would be her home for five years in Spain with FC Barcelona. She now plays for Bay FC in the NWSL.
Across her six seasons in Catalonia, Oshoala notched up 117 goals in 161 games, while she also featured in the Women’s World Cup (2015 and 2019), Cyprus Womans Cup (2018) and Africa Cup (2018) with the Super Eagles. Throughout her career, Oshoala has earned numerous individual awards, including:
- BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year (2015)
- Africa Women’s Footballer of the Year (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023)
- IFFHS Women’s CAF Best Player of the Year (2020, 2021)
- IFFHS CAF Best Woman Player of the Decade (2011-2020)
- Queen of The Pitch Award (2014)
Rena Wakama: Womens Basketball
Rema Wakama’s roots stem from Okira in Rivers State. She is the first-ever female head coach of the Nigerian women's basketball national team and made history by guiding the D’Tigress to a 75-62 victory over Australia in Paris - the nation’s first win at the Olympic Games in over two decades.
Wakama is a former D’Tigress herself having represented Nigeria on the court between 2014 and 2017. After trading in her national jersey for a suit, Wakama put her name up in lights almost immediately by leading D’Tigress to their fourth consecutive AfroBasket title in 2023, becoming the first female to do so in the history of the competition.
There is just one month left in the ongoing NBA season and SportyTrader will be covering every match with our NBA predictions leading up to the postseason!Temilade Openiyi (Tems) - Club Owner
While all of the women that have made our list are present or past athltes, the final slot has been reserved for Afrobeats sensation Tems, who has broken new ground for Nigeria by becoming a part-owner of the popular Major League Soccer franchise San Diego FC. Tems is now the first African woman to own stakes in an MLS team.
The two-time Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee joins notable figures in the ownership group of San Diego FC, including World Cup winner and former Manchester United star Juan Mata as well as entertainment mogul Issa Rae. Tems has opened the door to a new future not only for Nigerian athletes but also for businessmen across the nation.
