Tonobok Okowa, president of the Nigerian Athletics Federation, was ecstatic yesterday after the gold rush on Sunday helped Team Nigeria achieve an all-time best-ever record at the Commonwealth Games.
Tobi Amusan, a world record holder in the women's 100-meter hurdles, a gold medal in the women's 4x100-meter relay team with Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, and Grace Nwokocha, and another Games record by long jumper Ese Brume brought Team Nigeria's medal total to 12, the most ever for Nigeria during an Olympics.
Speaking with The Guardian shortly after Brume delivered the long jump gold with her 7 00m jump, Okowa said; “I don’t know the appropriate word to describe this moment. I am on top of the world here in Birmingham. Help me to thank the athletes from Amusan to Favour Ofili, Rosemary Chukwuma, Grace Nwokocha, Ese Brume and all those that made Nigeria proud here in Birmingham.
“The journey has been very rough for athletics I must say, but I thank God for giving us this glorious outing. I will continue to do my best by giving the athletes morale and any kind of support they will need to do well at major championships. I thank the coaches and all those that contributed in one way or the other to that victory,” Okowa stated.
The women's 4x100m relay team brought home the nation's first gold medal in 28 years on Sunday in Birmingham. The quartet broke the African record, which had only been in place for a month, by running 42.10 seconds, which they achieved in style on July 23 at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA.
Amusan, a world and Commonwealth Games 100-meter hurdles champion and record holder, opened the historic race with a strong first leg. After passing the baton to Ofili, who made sure Nigeria maintained its lead, Chukwuma, a finalist in the 100-meter solo race, took over.
Chukwuma completed the curve with ease and surrendered the lead to Nwokocha, the current 100-meter champion of Nigeria.
Darly Neita, the anchor leg runner for Great Britain, threatened to overtake the 21-year-old Nwokocha, who kept the lead to win Nigeria's first women's relay gold in more than 20 years.
Amusan was a member of the relay team that finished third at the Gold Coast in Australia four years ago.
In 1994, in Victoria, Canada, Nigeria earned its first 4x100m relay gold medal. The winning time was a then-games record of 42.99 seconds, set by the team of Faith Idehen, Mary Tombiri, Christy Opara-Thompson, and Mary Onyali.
Four years earlier, in Auckland, New Zealand, the foursome of Beatrice Utondu, Fatima Yusuf, Charity Opara, and Chioma Ajunwa earned the nation's first real 4x100m relay medal—a bronze one.
With their victory for the bronze medal on Sunday, the men's team of Udodi Onwuzurike, Favour Ashe, Alaba Akintola, and Raymond Ekevwo also created history. The foursome of Victor Nwankwo, Davidson Ezinwa, Osmond Ezinwa, and Abdullahi Tetengi raced 38.85 seconds to win the silver medal at the Mount Smart Stadium in Auckland in 1990, which was the last time the men's 4x100m relay team won a medal (32 years ago).
Amusan won two gold medals in one day with the relay victory; yesterday, she won the 100-meter hurdles gold with a Games Record.
Ese Brume contributed the final shining moment with a leap of 7.00m in her final jump after previously achieving a Games Record of 6.99m.