Nigeria has been performing exceptionally well in sports in the past years. We are well-known for breaking and setting records in different sporting competitions such as the Olympics, FIFA World Cup, FIBA World Cup, Commonwealth Games, Premier League etc. With a new generation of sportsmen emerging on the scene, the future looks brighter, with more accolades anticipated to be received.
Premier Cool, being your number one soap bar, brings you a list of extraordinary facts and achievements about Nigeria in the field of sport you might have never known.
1. Nigeria made its first World Cup appearance in 1994 in United States of America. The team qualified top of their group and were knocked in the Round of 16 by Italy.
2. Nigeria has won 24 Olympics Medals (3 gold, 8 silver and 13 bronze), Chioma Ajunwa and Men’s Football Team won gold in Atlanta 1996 while the Men’s 4X400 meter relay team won gold in Sydney 2000.
3. The Nigeria Paralympic Committee has been more successful in powerlifting, claiming 23 gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze medals.
4. In March 2016, Guinness World Records recognised Nigeria’s Harrison Chinedu as the first man to travel the farthest distance while balancing a football on his head for a distance of 48.08km.
5. Nigeria’s basketball team is currently ranked at number 16 in the world and number 1 in Africa.
6. The Super Eagles of Nigeria is the first African team to win gold in Olympics Football.
7. In April 1994, the Super Eagles of Nigeria were ranked 5th in the FIFA World Ranking, the highest ranking achieved by an African football team.
8. Nigeria won 12 Paralympics medals in the just-concluded Rio Paralympic games 2016 with 8 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. They won more golds than any other African country.
9. Hakeem Olajuwon is the highest earning Nigerian-American basketball player with a net worth of $200 million.
10. Blessing Okagbare holds the Women’s 100 meters Commonwealth Games record for the fastest time at 10.85 second.
11. Ahmed Musa is the first Nigerian footballer to score more than one goal in a FIFA World Cup match after scoring twice against Argentina in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
12. Kelechi Iheanacho of Manchester City is the only African Player to score 10 Premier League goals before the age of 20. Premier Cool proudly supports him as Man City’s official sponsor.
13. Ahmed Musa of Leicester City is the most expensive Nigerian footballer. He was bought from CSKA Moscow for 16.5 million pounds
14. Nwankwo Kanu is the only Nigerian footballer to have won the Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League, UEFA Cup and an Olympic Gold Medal
15. Rashidi Yekini is the Nigerian footballer with the highest goals for the Super Eagles, scoring 37 goals in 58 caps.
Source: Wikipedia.com
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