By Taiwo Okanlawon
World record holder and field athlete, Tobi Amusan has emerged the winner of the Silverbird TV 2022 Sports Personality of the Year.
The World Champion clinched the award at the 2022 Silverbird Man of The Year which held on Friday 3, 2023 at the Eko Hotel and suits, Lagos.
Receiving the award on her behalf by her management, Lanre Vigo, the Head of Plug Sports, the sporting division of The Plug Entertainment, shared the news via his Instagram handle.
“Congratulations @ihurdle_33.0inches on being awarded as the @silverbirdtv sports personality of the year,” he wrote on Instagram.
I’m honoured to receive this award on your behalf and to say a few words. Honestly @ihurdle_33.0inches I wish you were here to receive all these awards in person and feel the love Nigerians have for you,” he added.
Vigo said in his speech after receiving the award that he’ll encourage private sectors and the government to invest more in athletes as there are more Tobi Amusan’s out there waiting to be discovered.
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“There are a lot of talented sports people in Nigeria, and I feel like if the government and private sectors invest more in these people, we will have more superstars in Nigeria. So I’m encouraging everyone to please support Tobi Amusan on this quest to find or possibly find the next Tobi Amusan,” Vigo said.
Amusan became Nigeria’s first World champion and World Record holder at the World Championships in Oregon, where she won the 100m Hurdles titles in WR times of 12.12s in the semifinals and a wind-aided 12.06s in the final.
She also successfully defended her Commonwealth Games and Diamond League titles, clocking record-breaking times of 12.30s and 12.29s respectively. Her 12.30s time was also a new record at the Games.
With this accomplishment, the 25 year-old Amusan is the first World Champion to win Gold in the event and the first Nigerian athlete to be crowned champion at all levels of athletics in the same year.
She beat Jamaican duo Danielle Williams, Megan Tapper, England’s Cindy Sembre, Michelle Jenneke of Australia, and Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas.
