February 21, (THEWILL) – Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan has been nominated for the Laureus Sports Award in the Breakthrough of the Year category, along with five other athletes.
The coveted award, originally presented in 2000, honours the year’s best and most inspirational sporting victories and highlights the efforts of Laureus Sport for good.
Last year, Amusan became Nigeria’s first World Record (WR) holder in any track and field event, after racing to an exceptional 12.12s to win her 100m Hurdles semi-final race at the World Championships in Oregon. Her final time of 12.06s may have been a new WR as well, but for the excessive wind reading which made it inapplicable.
Her outstanding performances and iconic feats last year have seen her give the sport a significant facelift in Nigeria and globally, as she’s now one of the most influential sportspersons on the continent. She, alongside other sports athletes, was duly recognised and presented with national honours by the President in September 2022.
The amazing relay quartet of Ese Brume, Blessing Oborududu, Fumilayo Folashade, and Amusan received N4.5 million each. Like them, each gold medalist at last year’s Commonwealth Games received N4.5 million in addition to the national honour of Member Order of Niger (MON). The category C and D silver and bronze medalists received the Federal Republic Medal Classes 1 and 2, along with cash awards of N2.5 million and N1.5 million, respectively.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
