Sports is one of the avenues where Nigeria has earned its reputation. Over the years, Nigerians have excelled in some of the most popular ones globally; the outgoing year 2023 is no exception.

In 2023, some continued with their legacy and represented themselves and the country well in their fields. With a few days before the year ends, Peoples Gazette takes a cursory look into some of their achievements in the past 12 months.

Football

Most accolades won by Nigerian athletes this year were from the round leather game, with Victor Osimhen, Asisat Oshoala, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Gift Orban and Victor Boniface achieving various honours.

Starting with Osimhen, the forward scored 26 league goals in 32 matches to become the first African footballer to win the Serie A topscorer award as Napoli clinched the 2022/2023 league title, ending a 33-year-old drought.

Also, he was named the 2022/23 Serie A Best Striker of the Year and earned a spot in the Serie A Team of the Year.

Osimhen’s performance earned him an eighth-place finish in the 2023 Ballon d’Or ranking, the highest for an African footballer and ultimately the Men’s African Player of the Year award a few weeks ago.

He became the first Nigerian to win the coveted award for the first time in 24 years when Arsenal legend Kanu Nnamkwo clinched the honour.

Another Nigerian who performed well in football is Oshoala, who won the Liga F league title and the UEFA Women’s Champions League with her Barcelona side in the year under review.

She played a huge part in Barcelona’s successful campaign, scoring 27 goals and assisting seven in 40 matches. It was enough to earn a nomination in the Women’s Best Player category at the 2023 Ballon d’Or.

Oshoala rounded up the year on a remarkable level after winning the Women’s African Player of the Year for the third consecutive time and a record-extending sixth in total at the 2023 CAF Awards.

Also at the 2023 CAF Awards, Super Falcons and Paris FC goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was named the inaugural winner of the CAF Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.

The duo of Boniface and Orban also made a name for themselves in European football, with the former scoring six goals to emerge as the joint topscorer of the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League competition alongside Marcus Rashford.

In March, Orban made global headlines after scoring three goals within three minutes and 25 seconds in Gent’s 4-1 win over İstanbul Başakşehir F.K in a UEFA Europa Conference League round of 16 clash.

The triple goals became the fastest hat trick to be scored in the history of any UEFA club competition, breaking the previous record of six minutes and 12 seconds held by Mohammed Salah.

Track and Field

Tobi Amusan flew the country’s flag high in the track and field world in 2023. 

Coming fresh from an overturned suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit for missing three consecutive where-about tests in 12 months, she, unfortunately, lost her 100m hurdles World Championship title to Danielle Williams days later.

However, she bounced back less than a month later to successfully defend her Diamond League 100m hurdles title — the 26-year-old’s third consecutive Diamond League title.

Table Tennis

In the rectangular table game, veteran Quadri Aruna continues to put Nigeria’s name on the map. In September, the 35-year-old defeated Egypt’s Ahmed Saleh to successfully defend his title at the 2023 ITTF African Championships in Tunisia.

It was Aruna’s eighth continental title overall.

Canoeing 

Back in November, the Team Nigeria quartet of Ayomide Bello, Otuedo Beauty, Endurance Godhelp, and Celestine Etoi qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics after their impressive outing at the ninth African Canoe Olympic qualifier held at Jabi Lake, Abuja.

Nigeria finished second overall in the competition behind South Africa. Bello finished as the overall best woman athlete, winning three gold medals in all the three events she competed for

Meanwhile, Celestine and Etoi won gold for Nigeria at the event.

Para Table Tennis 

In September, Nigeria finished first at the 2023 ITTF African Para Table Tennis Championships held in Giza, Egypt, winning 12 gold medals and clinching nine of the 14 Paralympic tickets available.

Also in September, Bolawa Akingbemisilu reached a career highest after being ranked seventh in the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Para ranking released by the world table tennis ruling body – he was the highest-ranked African on the list.

Akingbemisilu was part of the Nigerian contingent that won six medals at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Lignano Masters Para Open 2023 in Italy. He defeated some of the world’s top players to settle for a silver medal in the class five division.

At the tournament, Isau Ogunkunle won a silver medal in men’s class four after losing 3-2 in the final to Japan’s Kazuki Shichino, Ifechukwude Ikpeoyi settled for bronze in the women’s class five, while Kehinde Lawal also claimed bronze in the women’s class nine.

Para Powerlifting

In August, Team Nigeria won seven medals, comprising two gold medals, two silver medals and three bronze medals at the 2023 World Powerlifting Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Mark Onyinyechi and Kafilat Almaruf won gold in the 61kg and 73kg categories, respectively. Esther Nworgu and Bose Omolayo, in the 41kg and 79kg category, won silver medals at the Championships. 

Oluwafemiayo Folashade in the 86kg category, Ezuruike Roland in the 54kg category and Kure Thomas, who competed in the 65kg category, settled for bronze medals.