The year is coming to an end and we glad that we’re alive and got see some to Nigeria’s best perform at the highest level of their professional sporting career; We’ve decided to take a retrospective appreciation of the performance of Nigerian Athletes that have being flying the Nigerian flag high and have done us proud in the last 12 months, here is the list of our top 5 Nigerian Athletes for 2018:
- Anthony Joshua:
Anthony Oluwafemi Olaseni Joshua, OBE (born 15 October 1989) is a Nigerian-British professional boxer. He is currently a unified world heavyweight champion, holding three of the four major championships in the sport: the IBF title since 2016, the WBA (Super) title since 2017, and the WBO title since March 2018. He has also held the IBO title since 2017, and at regional level he held the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles from 2014 to 2016. Joshua represented England at the 2011 World Championships as an amateur in the super-heavyweight division, winning a silver medal; he also represented Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics, winning gold. In 2014, a year after turning professional, he was named Prospect of the Year by The Ring magazine. In 2017, his victorious fight against Wladimir Klitschko was named Fight of the Year by The Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Joshua is the second British boxer, after James DeGale, to win both a gold medal at the Olympics and a world title by a major professional sanctioning body, as well as being the first British heavyweight to do so.
As of September 2018, Joshua is ranked as the world’s best active heavyweight by The Ring, the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB), and BoxRec. Known for his exceptional punching power, he has finished all but one of his fights to date by knockout. In 2018 he had to defend his belts against Alexsander Povetkin by TKO, And also against Joseph Parker by UD. He as had a fantastic year and still sit as the world number 1 heavyweight boxer, all that is left is for him to unify the division if he can get a fight against Deontay wilder and off course defeat him
2. Ahmed Musa:
Ahmed Musa, (born 14 October 1992) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward and left winger for Saudi Arabian team Al-Nassr and the Nigeria national team. Musa became the first Nigerian to score more than once in a FIFA World Cup match, after scoring twice againstArgentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Musa is also the first Nigerian to score in two FIFA World Cup competitions, after scoring twice against Iceland in the group stage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Brought Happiness to Nigerians, home and abroad with both his goals against Iceland at the last FIFA World Cup. His World Cup feat was even recognized and was reward as he emerged the Winner Of the 2018 Sport Future Awards Africa Nigeria Ceremony.Â
3. Asisat Oshoala:Â
Asisat Lamina Oshoala MON (born 9 October 1994) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Chinese side Dalian Quanjian F.C. in the Chinese Women’s Super League as a striker. She was named best player and was the highest goal scorer at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. She was also named best player and second top goalscorer with the Super Falcons team who won the 2014 African Women’s Championship. But she just doesn’t seem to rest on her laurels just last month she lead the Nigerian team from the front as the won their 8th AWCON title, she was also part of the the team that won it in Cameroon and in 2014, she most definitely is one of our best export, raising the Nigerian Flag high every she has had the opportunity to defend the Nigerian colours.
4. Imaobong Nse:
Akwa Ibom teenage sensation Imaobong Nse who was a revelation at the second Akwa Ibom Youth Sports Festival has become an instant hit at the ongoing National Sports Festival in Abuja. Imaobong Nse an indigene of Etinan who resides and schools in Ibeno, all in Akwa Ibom state, yesterday won gold in the women’s 400m final. She defeated other national and international athletes, most of who were more than twice her age in a new national record time of 52:35 secs. Imaobong won the 400m race to set an unprecedented feat ever attained by a 14 year old in national athletics competitions in the country. We hope the the sport ministry keeps hold of she could become Nigeria’s next superstar Athlete if properly groomed and mentored. You’re a national hero and our future superstar in Athlete.
5. Bobsled Women Winter Olympic Team (Ngozi Onwumere, Akuoma Omeoga, Seun Adigun, Simi Adeagbo):
The Nigeria bobsled team or Nigerian bobsleigh team, represented Nigeria in bobsledding. The first team was established in 2016 by Seun Adigun, as a women’s team for the 2-women event. In 2017, they qualified to be the first Nigerians at the Winter Olympics, and first Africans in bobsled at the Winter Olympics. Nigeria’s flag was raised high during the winter Olympics by this Fantastic ladies in PyeongChang, South Korea, as the 2018 Winter Olympics. The Nigerian team in Korea is made up of four women – Ngozi Onwumere, Akuoma Omeoga, and Seun Adigun they competed in the Bobsled event while Simi Adeagbo competed in the Skeleton event. The team was entirely self-funding, without financial support from Nigerian authorities. Raising the money to run the team showed the Nigerian government that they needed to establish a governing federation for bobsled, which they did, the Bobsled & Skeleton Federation of Nigeria (BSFN). These ladies raised the conciousness of Nigerian People to the fact that we can also perform at the Winter Olympics and because of them a Sport Parastatal was created. They deserve to be celebrated, they’re pioneers and trailblazers.
Photo Credit: Getty
