Tobi Amusan, Ese Brume, Asisat Oshoala… 10 high-performing athletes of 2022

The year 2022 was eventful for sports as thousands of athletes represented their countries in various global competitions.

Nigerian athletes showed hunger and drive across different sports, bringing joy to the faces of millions at home.

From the record-breaking stride at the World Athletics Championships to the podium finishes at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the United Kingdom, Nigerian athletes did not just obey the clarion call; they turned it into a victory tune.

Here are 10 of those heroes who made Nigeria proud in 2022.

Tobi Amusan

Amusan had a stellar 2022 where she delivered brilliant performances at the Diamond League, Commonwealth Games, and World Athletics Championships.

She became the first Nigerian world champion after she clocked a wind-aided 12.06 seconds — ineligible as a world record because of +2.5 meters per second strong wind.

The 25-year-old sprinter consolidated her feat with a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games before retaining her Diamond League title to put a brilliant wrap on her season.

Ese Brume

Brume remains Nigeria’s most consistent athlete and her exploits in 2022 pushed her further ahead of the country’s pile of athletes.

She began the year with a silver medal in the women’s long jump at the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade.

Another silver medal followed in the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

She then capped her season up with a sensational leap to clinch the gold medal in the women’s long jump at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham.

With a 6.99m jump, Brume also set a CWG record for the event.

Asisat Oshoala

Oshoala became the first woman to win the Confederation of African Football (CAF) player of the year for a fifth time.

She also made the 20-woman shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d’Or.

The 27-year-old Nigerian won the golden boot in the Spanish Primera Division, despite missing three months of the season due to recurring injuries.

She scored 20 goals in 19 league appearances for Barcelona Femeni and shared the award with Geyse Ferreira of Madrid CFF, who netted 20 goals in 27 appearances.

Favour Ofili

Ofili had a breakout year on the track. The 19-year-old broke Blessing Okagbare’s national record in the women’s 200m sprint when she dipped a sensational 21.96 seconds at the Tom Jones Memorial in May.

She then went on to claim a silver medal in the same event at the CWG — finishing behind only Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson-Herah.

Chioma Onyekwere

She became the first Nigerian woman in history to win a CWG gold medal in discus, with a throw of 61.70m.

Onyekwere also won gold at the African Athletics Championship in Mauritius earlier in the year.

Victor Osimhen

The Napoli attacker was named the ’emerging player of the year’ at the 2022 Globe Soccer Awards.

A few months before that, the 23-year-old was awarded the best under-23 player in Serie A for the 2021/22 season.

He is also enjoying a brilliant start of the season for Napoli which has seen him grab 10 goals in 14 appearances across all competitions.

He also led Serie A’s goal-scoring chart before league football went on break for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Aruna Quadri

Aruna became the first African to rank among the top 10 table tennis players in the world.

He achieved the feat in May, placing tenth with 1565 points.

The 34-year-old accomplished the historic milestone following another giant stride at the 2022 World Table Tennis (WTT) star contender championship in Qatar in March. He defeated three Chinese players to become the first African player to reach the semi-final of the event.

Later in the year, Aruna won his second continental title in the men’s singles of the 2022 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) African championship.

Taiwo Mati

The teenager had a dominating outing for Nigeria at the 2022 ITTF African Youth Championship in Tunisia.

The Ondo-born player picked up the U-19 boys’ singles title, and alongside Samuel Boboye, he claimed gold in the doubles event.

The 19-year-old also won the men’s singles event at the maiden edition of the ITTF Africa Western Region Championships.

Blessing Oborodudu

The 33-year-old defeated Canada’s Morais Linda to claim the gold medal in women’s wrestling at the 2022 CWG in Birmingham.

Oborududu dominated the 68kg category and her gold in England ensured she continued the brilliant form that helped her win Nigeria’s first-ever wrestling gold at the Olympics in 2021.

Odunayo Adekuruoye

She overcame the disappointment of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and wrestled for the gold medal in the 57kg category class of women’s wrestling at the 2022 CWG.

The victory was Adekuruoye’s third successive CWG gold, having previously won in 2014 and 2018.