Golden Sunday for Team Nigeria as Brume, relay teams win on final day

Nigeria’s Ese Brume celebrates winning and taking the gold medal, and setting a new Commonwealth record in during the women’s long jump final athletics event at the Alexander Stadium, in Birmingham on day ten of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, central England, on August 7, 2022. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP)

• Amusan sets new games record, inspires 4x100m women to gold, new African mark

Nigeria rounded off its participation at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, yesterday, with a big splash on the medals pool, with the ladies, once again, leading the country’s march for glory.

The victory dance started in the morning at the Alexander Stadium, where the quartet of Tobi Amusan, Favour Ofili, Rose Chukwuma and Grace Nwokocha won the 4x100m women’s relay race.

The quartet also set a new African record of 42.10s to win the country’s 11th gold medal in what has turned out to become Nigeria’s best outing at the Commonwealth Games.

The 4x100m women team included Tobi Amusan, Favour Ofili, Rose Chukwuma and anchor, Grace Nwokocha.

Earlier, the quartet of Udodi Onwuzurike, Favour Ashe, Alaba Akintola and Raymond Ekevwo won the bronze medal in the men’s 4x100m event won by the English team. The Nigerian men finished in a time of 38.81s to make it to the podium.

Meanwhile, Ofili, on Saturday, became the third Nigerian woman after Mary Onyali (1994) and Blessing Okagbare (2014) to win a medal in the 200m at the Commonwealth Games.

The 19-year-old ran 22.51 seconds to place second behind Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah (22.02s Games record), the Tokyo Olympics double sprint champion.

Namibia’s Tokyo Olympics 200m silver medalist, Christine Mboma, finished third in 22.80 seconds.

Ofili’s silver medal win is the second such medal