Sports

World Athletics Ratifies Tobi Amusan’s 100m Hurdles Record

Published

1 year ago

September 20, 2022

Eric

The World Athletics has ratified the women’s world 100m hurdles record set by Tobi Amusan at the 2022 World Championships.

A statement by the international athletic governing body on Tuesday further revealed that the record times of two other athletes — Mondo Duplantis and Sydney McLaughlin – have also been ratified.

The athletes had set the records at the World Athletics Championships that took place in Oregon, the United States, in July.

The statement read, “The world records set by Tobi Amusan, Mondo Duplantis, and Sydney McLaughlin at the World Athletics Championships Oregon22 have been ratified.

“Amusan’s 12.12 in the women’s 100m hurdles semi finals, Duplantis’s 6.21m in the men’s pole vault final and McLaughlin’s 50.68 in the women’s 400m hurdles final are all now officially in the record books, as is the world U20 mark of 9.94 set by Letsile Tebogo in the men’s 100m heats.”

The 25-year-old Amusan took the world by storm when she ran a time of 12.12secs – shaving almost a tenth of a second off the previous world record held by American Keni Harrison (12.20secs) – in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Oregon, USA, before going on to win gold in the final at the Hayward Field stadium.

Sports

Again, Messi Wins Ballon d’Or for World’s Best Player

Published

4 weeks ago

October 31, 2023

Eric

Argentina captain Lionel Messi won a record-extending eighth Ballon d’Or for the best player in the world on Monday, beating Norway’s UEFA player of the year and treble winner Erling Haaland of Manchester City to the prestigious prize.

Inter Miami’s Messi, who last won the award in 2021, played a pivotal role in guiding Argentina to their first World Cup title in 36 years in Qatar last season.

Reuters

Sports

Posthumous Birthday: Google Honours Rashidi Yekini with Doodle

Published

1 month ago

October 23, 2023

Eric

Today’s Doodle celebrates Nigerian footballer Rashidi Yekini, who is remembered for being the top goalscorer of the nation and widely considered one of the best Nigerian athletes of all time.

Today’s Doodle celebrates iconic Nigerian footballer Rashidi Yekini, an accomplished forward nicknamed the “Goalsfather” for his ability to sneak shots by the keeper. On this day in 1963, he was born in Kaduna, Nigeria.

The beginning of Yekini’s life was difficult as he faced homelessness and poverty. To make money, his first jobs were a welder and mechanic, but his true goal was to pursue football. He soon began playing in front of scouts and in 1981, he joined his first football club, UNTL FC, in Kaduna.

The talented striker played for the Shooting Stars next, scoring an impressive 45 goals in 53 games. His spectacular scoring abilities earned him the title of African Footballer of the Year in 1983, and he was the first Nigerian player to receive this honor. The next year, he helped bring the Shooting Stars to the finals of the African Champions Cup.

Outside of Nigeria, he also played for football clubs in Spain, Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, Tunisia, Switzerland, and Greece. While playing for a Portuguese team called Vitória Setúbal, he won the Bola de Prata (Silver Ball) for being the league’s top-scoring player in the 1993-94 season.

Yekini helped Nigeria’s national team, nicknamed the Super Eagles, qualify for the 1994 World Cup. Nigeria played Bulgaria on June 21st, and Yekini made it a game to remember. Not only did he score the first goal of the game, but also the first World Cup goal for Nigeria. Overcome with excitement and pride, he ran into the net and clutched it with both arms while cheering and crying tears of joy. Many consider it one of the most iconic goal celebrations in football history and it served as inspiration for today’s Doodle artwork.

He went on to play for the Super Eagles for a little over 14 years, including another shot at the World Cup in 1998. In his 58 games for Nigeria, he scored 37 times, and to this day holds the record for most goals scored for the country.

Happy birthday, Rashidi Yekini!

Source: Google

Sports

Napoli Mock Osimhen for Penalty Miss, Get Knocks

Published

2 months ago

September 27, 2023

Eric

Serie A champions, Napoli, are under serious attack from football followers, who deemed a video posted on the club’s official TikTok handle as mocking Nigeria international Victor Osimhen for missing a penalty on Sunday.

Osimhen, who was the club’s top scorer last season as the Parthenopeans won the Scudetto after three decades, missed the penalty that denied Napoli a chance to win all three points against Bologna on Sunday.

And with just four minutes to the end of the game, the Super Eagles striker was substituted for Giovanni Simeone.

Not happy with the substitution, Osimhen expressed his anger at Napoli coach Rudi Garcia as he walked away to the bench.

Osimhen has since sent his apologies to the coach and his teammates over his action but on Tuesday, the official TikTok of the team, which had posted a video three days ago referring to Osimhen as a coconut head, posted another video trolling the Nigerian for missing the penalty against Bologna.

The action by the club’s social media handle has seen the football faithful from across the world attack the club.

“That video of @sscnapoli trolling @victorosimhen9 over his penalty miss (which I won’t share) is in very poor taste for a player who continually gives 100% for that club. Everyone involved in that decision, from ideation through approval to execution, should be fired, pronto!” Nigerian journalist Collin Udoh wrote.