The world record-holder in the women’s 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, was the fastest over the barriers, setting a world-leading time of 12.40 (0.9m/s).

Danielle Williams, a two-time world champion, was ahead for most of the race but lost her rhythm over the final two hurdles and finished second with 12.46.

“This is the healthiest I’ve been. It’s a pain-free season compared to other years,” World Athletics website quoted Amusan to have said.

“I told myself: ‘I’m not getting a DQ today’. I’m not the best of starters, but looking at how I executed today, it could have been better, but I am thankful for the win.”

Nigeria’s Minister of Sports, John Enoh, took to his X handle to congratulate the Nigerian athletics queen for her latest feat.

“Take your flowers Tobi Amusan, you stormed to an emphatic win in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Jamaica Athletics Invitational, clocking a time of 12.40s (0.9), a World Lead time!

“You defeated World Champion Danielle Williams, who came 2nd in 12.46s, while Christina Clemons was 3rd in 12.54s.

“Tobi, you keep making our country proud. Paris Olympics is around the corner, your performance gives us hope just like others that Nigeria is set to break a jinx. Keep soaring, we are proud of you,” Enoh wrote.

The Board of Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), on Monda,y approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint former ace winger, Finidi George, as Head Coach of the Super Eagles.

George, who spent 20 months as assistant to José Santos Peseiro before the Portuguese voluntarily left the post following the accomplishment of Africa Cup of Nations runner-up position at Cote d’Ivoire 2023, took charge of the squad in interim capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco last month.

His squad edged Ghana 2-1 in the first match, ending an 18-year winless streak against the Black Stars, but then lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.

George, a member of the so-styled ‘Golden Generation’ that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and emerged the second most entertaining team in Nigeria’s debut at the FIFA World Cup finals in USA the same year, won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals. He also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.

The 52-year-old former Ajax Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Real Betis (Spain) forward, who made a scoring debut for fatherland in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Burkina Faso at the National Stadium, Lagos on July 27, 1991, also featured for Calabar Rovers and Sharks FC in the domestic scene before heading to Europe. He assisted Rashidi Yekini (of blessed memory) to score Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA World Cup goal against Bulgaria in Dallas, USA on 19^th June 1994.

George had actually scored the goal that took Nigeria to that FIFA World Cup debut, when he put Nigeria ahead against hosts Algeria in a crucial qualifier in Algiers on October 8, 1993. The match eventually ended 1-1 and earned Nigeria a ticket to the finals in America.

George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks. The matches are must-win encounters, with the Super Eagles lagging behind in third place in Group C of the African campaign behind Rwanda and South Africa.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) have kicked 10-man Barcelona out of the Champions League as they qualified for the semi-final after winning 4-1 at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona had won the first leg 3-2 in Paris, but PSG won 6-4 on aggregate to qualify for the semi-finals.

Kylian Mbappe grabbed a brace in the encounter to see PSG through.

A Superb work from Lamine Yamal squared the ball to Raphinha, who beat Gianluigi Donnarumma with a brilliant shot into the bottom right corner to give Barcelona a 12th minute lead.

In the 29th minute, Ronald Araujo made an ugly tackle on his opponent and was sent off by the referee leaving the homers with 10 men to play the entire duration.

PSG capitalised on their advantage and equalised in the 40th minute. A former Barcelona player, Ousmane Dembele equalised for the visitors.

Bradley Barcola played the ball to Dembele, who showed great determination to get to the ball before a couple of defenders and from inside the box he shot into the top right corner of the net to make it 1-1.

PSG made it 1-2 in the 54th minute from a fantastic finish by Vitinha from just outside the box. He wasted little time in getting away a bullet of a shot that flew past the goalkeeper into the bottom left corner of the net.

Mbappe added another goal for PSG from the penalty spot in the 61st minute. He put the ball into the top left corner past the outstretched arm of Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

A minute to duration time, PSG made it 1-4. Mbappe fired the rebound into the bottom right corner after the ball broke to him in the box.