Nigerian women athletes’ laudable achievements in sports
Without a doubt, women athletes have contributed immensely to the success of Nigeria in sports, etching the country’s name on the global map and positioning the West-African nation as a powerhouse in global sports. These immensely talented women have left enduring legacies in various sports including football, athletics, basketball, wrestling and weightlifting, among others, at […]
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Without a doubt, women athletes have contributed immensely to the success of Nigeria in sports, etching the country’s name on the global map and positioning the West-African nation as a powerhouse in global sports.
These immensely talented women have left enduring legacies in various sports including football, athletics, basketball, wrestling and weightlifting, among others, at international competitions like the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships.
Weekend Trust Sports highlights some of the feats achieved by the women athletes in various sports for able-bodied and physically challenged athletes, making them heroines to be adored by many.
Athletics
Athletics has inarguably served as the shining light for the country at international competitions. Athletics has consistently earned Nigeria global recognition.
Weekend Trust Sports can report that women athletes have won nine of the 14 medals in athletics at the Olympics, solidifying some of the most outstanding contributions by Nigerian women athletes to the country’s medal haul.
Chioma Ajunwa
She made history as the first woman and only Nigerian till date to win an individual Olympic gold medal. The retired Police officer achieved this feat at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when she won gold in the long jump, with a jump of 7.12 meters. This victory remains one of the defining moments for Nigerian women in sports, as she became the first African woman to win gold in the event.
The Nigerian former track and field athlete is the only woman to have competed in both the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the Olympics.
Mary Onyali-Omagbemi
She is one of Nigeria’s most decorated female sprinters. Onyali competed in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, where she won a bronze medal in the 4×100 meters relay, 200m bronze at Atlanta ’96, as well as two gold and a silver at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in 100meters, 4x100m relay and 200m respectively, contributing significantly to Nigeria’s medal haul. She also achieved success at the World Junior Championships.
Falilat Ogunkoya
She was a major figure in Nigerian track and field in the 1990s. She won a bronze medal in the 400 meters and contributed to Nigeria’s success in the 4×400 meters relay event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Blessing Okagbare
She was a dominant force in Nigerian athletics for over a decade. She won a bronze medal in the long jump at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and has earned several medals at the Commonwealth Games, including gold. Also, she won a silver medal in the 200 meters at the 2013 World Championships. The victory marked her as one of Nigeria’s top athletes of all time.
Tobi Amusan
Inarguably, the most successful Nigerian women athlete of the modern era, Tobi made history 2022 when she became the first Nigerian to win gold medal in the 100m hurdles at the World Championships in Oregon, becoming the first Nigerian woman to win gold at the World Championships in Athletics. More importantly, she is the current world record holder in 100m hurdles with a time of 12.12 seconds which she set in Oregon, further cementing her legacy as one of the greatest athletes in Nigerian history.
Ese Brume
She has been one of the leading female athletes in Nigeria’s history of field events. She won a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the long jump, becoming the first Nigerian woman in 13 years to win an Olympic medal in athletics. Brume also earned gold medals at the African Championships and the Commonwealth Games.
Super Falcons
The Super Falcons, Nigeria’s national women’s football team, have made significant contributions to the country’s medal haul in international competitions, particularly in the African Women’s Cup of Nations (AWCON).
The Super Falcons have won 11 AWCON titles in 14 appearances, the highest by any country in Africa. Although the Super Falcons are yet to win an Olympic gold medal, they reached the quarter-final at the 2004 Athens Olympics. They also reached the quarter-final at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup in the USA.
Notable players who have contributed to the success story of the Super Falcons are:
Asisat Oshoala
Oshoala has been pivotal to the success of the Super Falcons, playing a crucial role in Nigeria’s dominance in African women’s football. She won 4 AWCON titles (2010, 2016, 2018, and 2020). Her exceptional performances also earned her four African Women’s Player of the Year titles.
Florence Omagbemi
Before her retirement, she played a significant role in the Super Falcons both as a player and later as a coach. She captained the team to four consecutive AWCON titles in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2004. She was also part of the team that debuted at the Summer Sydney Olympics in 2000.
She began her coaching career as an assistant coach with the national U-20 team, reaching the semifinals of the 2012 FIFA Women’s World Championship before being eliminated by the United States.
She was named as an interim coach of the Super Falcons for the 2016 AWCON, winning the tournament to become the first woman to win the AWCON both as a player and coach.
Perpetua Nkwocha
She is one of the most successful players in the history of AWCON, winning 5 titles (2003, 2006, 2010, 2016 and 2020). She featured in four FIFA Women’s World Cup (2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015), as well as the Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, and Beijing 2008 Olympics. She has also won four African Women’s Footballer of the Year titles in 2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011.
Olufunke Oshonaike
Oshonaike is a Nigerian table tennis icon, known for her longevity and achievements in the sport. She made history as the first African female table tennis player to compete in seven Olympic Games, from Atlanta 1996 to Tokyo 2020.
A multiple-time African champion, Oshonaike has won several medals at the African Games and ITTF events.
Blessing Oborududu
Blessing has defied societal norms to become a wrestling icon. Facing resistance, she pursued her passion with determination, winning over 10 African Wrestling Championships.
Her biggest moment came at Tokyo 2020, where she made history as Nigeria’s first Olympic wrestling medalist (silver, 68kg freestyle). She also claimed gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and silver in 2022.
D’Tigress
The senior women’s national basketball team D’Tigress have contributed immensely to the country’s medal haul, winning the Women’s Afrobasket Championship four times in a row and six times in total.
D’Tigress, who are the current African champions, opened the floodgate of medals haul 2003, pressed forward to defend the title two years later in 2005.
After losing in the group and knockout stages from 2007 to 2015, they reclaimed the top spot with a dominant force winning the titles from 2017 to 2023.
They became the first African basketball team, male or female, to qualify for the quarterfinals of the basketball competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Cricket
Recently, Nigeria’s junior women’s cricket team, the Junior Female Yellow Greens, achieved a historic milestone by securing their first-ever win in the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup in Malaysia.
Outstanding performers in special sports
Just like their able-bodied compatriots, physically challenged athletes also known as special athletes have continued to make the country proud in international competitions.
Folashade Oluwafemiayo
Oluwafemiayo won a silver medal in the women’s 75kg category at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, breaking the world record in the process. She also won a gold medal at the 2017 World Para Powerlifting Championships in Mexico.
In 2021, she won the gold medal in her event at the 2021 World Para Powerlifting Championships held in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she also set a new world record of 152.5 kg.
Oluwafemiayo then broke the world record in the women’s powerlifting over 86kg final to win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first para-athlete in history to lift 166kg.
Lucy Ejike
The Paralympic powerlifter has represented Nigeria at seven consecutive Paralympic Games from 2000 in Sydney through to 2024 in Paris.
She won medals at the first six editions, winning three gold, two silver and one bronze but was unable to win a medal after she finished 4th in the women’s para powerlifting 67kg class at the Paris 2024.
Faith Obazuaye
The Para class 10 table tennis player won silver at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Para Table Tennis Championships in Gold Coast, Australia and was the only Nigerian female to qualify for the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Eniola Bolaji
Eniola Bolaji is an outstanding para-badminton player from Kwara State. She has won multiple medals and is considered a global para-badminton star.
She won a gold medal at the Egypt Para-badminton International in 2025; won the Spanish Para Badminton Championship and is ranked world number two in para-badminton.