Nigeria is full of amazing talent. Their attitude of excellence has led them to rack up a significant number of achievements throughout history. A large proportion of Nigeria’s accomplishments are in the world of sports (especially football); however, they have also succeeded in other sports — boxing, cricket, and many more. Let’s go through some of the top times Nigeria secured a win on the global stage.
Nigeria’s first individual Olympic gold
Back in 1996, Chioma Ajunwa become the first ever Nigerian to take home an individual Olympic Gold medal at the international event. That year they were held in Atlanta, in the United States of America (USA). Not only was Ajunwa the very first Nigerian athlete to win gold at an Olympic tournament, but she also became the very first black African woman to take home first place at this field event. Her accomplishment is quite impressive and to this day, she remains the only Nigerian to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games.
First Olympic gold in a team sport
At the same Olympic Games held where Chioma Ajunwa made history, Nigeria won their first-ever Olympic gold medal in a team sport. The sport in which they achieved this feat was, of course, football. Nwankwo Kanu was the country’s football team captain that year, and he led his squad to a fantastic victory.
Their journey at the games was nothing short of a rollercoaster — they managed to defeat Brazil after being down 3-1 in the semi-final! That game went to penalties where Nigeria was able to stay composed and win with a 4-3 record after it went to sudden death. Captain Nwankwo Kanu stepped up and scored during sudden death, taking his team to the final. The final was played against Argentina (who were the likely favorites when it comes to football bets) and it was a victory. Despite the close calls, Nigeria fought hard and managed to take out Argentina with an intense win that ended in a 3-2 score. The Nigerian team was crowned the Olympic champions of the world.
Super Eagles at the 1994 World Cup
The Super Eagles attempted to join the World Cup a total of six times — without success. It wasn’t until the seventh attempt that they managed to break their unlucky streak, qualifying for the 1994 World Cup. The team was managed by Stephen Keshi and the coach was Clemens Westerhof Eked. Westerhof Eked led the team to a draw when they played against Algeria in October 1993. The game took place in Algeria at the Stade du 5 Julliet 1962 in Algiers. The game ended in a 1-1 score.
The sporting event was extremely close. Nigeria scored first, a fantastic goal by Finidi George in the 19th minute. In the 71st minute(after a goal from Sidi Ahmed Zerrouki), Algeria equalized. Amazingly, Nigeria managed to hold their own in the game, the result of which was a draw. This secured their spot in the 1994 World Cup.
The ‘Damman miracle’
The 1989 World Cup was held in Saudi Arabia, where Nigeria went on a huge winning streak. They made it to the semi-final, where they faced Russia. The under-20s game did not go well for Nigeria, which conceded four goals. This brought the score to 4-0 in favor of the other team — in just 60 minutes. Somehow, Nigeria managed to turn things around. Their victorious finish catapulted them to the final against Portugal.
Unfortunately, the country lost 2-0 against Portugal in the final of the under-20s World Cup, but their amazing comeback in the semifinals is still being talked about it to this day. The Nigerian squad (also known as the Flying Eagles) had really amazing players whose contributions were invaluable. Players like Christopher Ohenhen, Samuel Elijah, and Nduka Ugbade made up the starting eleven.
Jighere wins the 2015 Scrabble world title
Now for an achievement that is not related to sport. We are talking about Nigerian-born Wellington Jighere winning the world title for Scrabble back in 2015. This made Jighere the first player from Africa to win the Scrabble title, a victory against Lewis MacKay over four rounds. He got to take home the trophy in the inaugural WESPA Championship!
After Jighere’s first Scrabble world title, he has won it again. He has also been crowned a national champion a total number of 12 times! It is clear that Wellington Jighere is a special talent, the kind that is not seen often — we are unlikely to see a Scrabble competitor like him for a long time.