NOC to Amusan: Winning Paris 2024 Olympic Gold Achievable 

*Salutes Nigeria’s world record holder and champion, Amusan, Brume

*Gbajabiamila hails the duo for making Nigeria proud at Oregon 2022

Duro Ikhazuagbe in Lagos andUdora Orizuin Abuja

The Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) has charged Tobi Amusan to consider winning Nigeria’s first individual track gold medal at the next Olympic Games in Paris in two years time after an incredible world record and gold medal feat at the just concluded World Championships in Oregon, USA.

While congratulating the duo of Amusan and Ese Brume who also stepped up from the bronze she won in Doha 2019 Championships to a silver at Oregon 2022, NOC said the next target now should be the individual Olympic gold medal.

Secretary General of the NOC, Olabanji Oladapo, who revealed that Amusan was part of Nigerian athletes that received IOC scholarships from 2017 to 2021, and  is currently on another IOC scholarship from 2021 to 2024, believes that the target is achievable with hard work and proper preparations.

”The target is to win  gold in Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It is achievable with good preparations and hard work. The NOC is happy that she (Amusan) has shot herself and Nigeria into reckoning. She is now an inspiration to every Nigerian athlete back home,” he further observed.

Mr Oladapo commended the athletes and their support team for uplifting Nigeria’s profile at the Championships.

“The skill, determination and hard work shown by the athletes and their support teams throughout the Championships have been inspirations to us all.”

The NOC Secretary General also applauded the efforts of Ese Brume who won a silver medal in the women’s long jump barely one year after returning from the Tokyo Olympic Games with a bronze medal in the event.

Similarly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, congratulated Amusan for making Nigeria proud by emerging as the fastest woman in the 100 metres hurdles competition at the 2022 World Athletics Championship.

Gbajabiamila in a statement said the Nigerian gold medalist, Amusan, wrote her name in gold by her resilience, hard work and commitment.

He noted that Nigerians both at home and abroad were pleased with Amusan’s feat, urging her to keep the country’s flag flying.

Gbajabiamila also congratulated Ese Brume who equally made the country proud by winning silver in the long jump competition.

The Speaker greeted the entire Nigerian contingent and their managers for their hard work.

Amusan caused a stir after smashing a world record in the women’s 100m hurdles in the semi-finals with a 12.12secs world record and cap it with another 12.06secs performance in the final to win the gold medal for Nigeria for the first time. Only the 12.12secs was accepted legal world record as the 12.06secs with a +2.5m/s tailwind was above the maximum +2.0 m/s.

She shaved off 0.8secs off the previous 12.20 secs held by Kendra Harrison of USA since 2016.

Brume on the other hand won the silver with a 7.02m jump in the event German athlete Malaika Mihambo won the gold.

Team Nigeria finished 13th on the overall medal placement and third best placed country from Africa. Nigeria finished behind Kenya and Ethiopia with Uganda finishing fourth place.