Sports
Amusan Finishes 2nd As Russell Wins Inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship
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Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan finished second in the women’s 100m hurdles at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest on Friday.
Amusan clocked 12.34 seconds to claim the silver medal, finishing behind United States Olympic champion Masai Russell, who won the title in 12.22 seconds.
Netherlands’ Nadine Visser completed the podium in 12.39 seconds.
Amusan, the former world record holder in the event, was unable to reclaim the top spot from Russell, who broke her world record with a time of 12.09 seconds at the Zurich Diamond League in August.
Russell entered the Budapest final as the favourite after her record-breaking performance in Zurich and continued her impressive 2026 campaign with another victory.
The American maintained her unbeaten run this year, adding the Ultimate Championship title to her Diamond League Final triumph in Brussels last week.
Reflecting on her performance after the race, Amusan said she approached the championship determined to give everything she had after what she described as a challenging period during the season.
“First, God is good,” Amusan said.
“What started off as an amazing season, you know, in between I had some nipping here and there. You know, I’m not a robot. You know, the body did shut down at a point.”
The hurdler said she gradually regained her momentum by taking each race at a time before arriving in Budapest with a determined mindset.
“Coming into this championship, my mindset going to the line was, ‘We die here.’ I just kept telling myself I have to give it my all,” she said.
Amusan said she was determined to put everything into the race regardless of the eventual outcome.
“All I knew was, look, I did it. That’s all I knew. And the second I saw the second-place finish, I was like, look, I can’t complain. God is good,” she said.
Her silver medal comes after a difficult few weeks for the former world record holder.
Amusan finished third at the Commonwealth Games and later saw her 100m hurdles world record broken by Russell before finishing fourth at the Diamond League Final.
She admitted that the period had been emotionally difficult but credited her family, mentor, coach and boyfriend for helping her regain confidence.
“I’m not going to lie. It was very rough,” Amusan said.
“I mean, to my family, to my mentor, to my coach, to my boyfriend. That’s brought life back into me.”
According to her, words of encouragement from those around her helped her put the setbacks behind her and focus on the race in Budapest.
“This morning it was all about put the past behind you and just go for it. And those few sentences that I got here and there got me to this finish line today,” she said.
Amusan said her second-place finish, together with her Commonwealth medal, represented a positive response to the setbacks she had experienced.
“With the Commonwealth medal, it is a statement,” she said.
On the growing competitiveness in the women’s 100m hurdles, Amusan described the event as increasingly difficult, warning that the battle among the leading hurdlers will become even more intense.
“Honestly, in that event, I think I would be the sleeping lion,” she said.
“I think the women’s hurdles is just getting scarier every damn year. Next year, I do not know what’s going to happen. But it’s going to be bloody.”
Sports
2026/2027 Champions League table after Match Day 1
Paris Saint-Germain sit top of the Champions League table after Match Day 1 fixtures.
The current holders thrashed Slovan Bratislavia 6-1 at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday night.
They are only ahead of Bayern Munich on goal difference. The Bundesliga champions put a goalless first half behind them to crush Bodo/Glimt 5-0 on Thursday.
The top five places are completed by Barcelona, Manchester United and Como 1907.
The bottom three teams are Sabah FC, Slovan Bratislava and Bodo/Glimt.
Match Day 2 fixtures will be played in the week that begins October 13.
After each club has played eight matches, the top eight move into the last 16 and those ranked between ninth and 24th will go to the play-offs.
Sports
Falconets Hold China To Draw, Keep U-20 World Cup Hopes Alive
Nigeria’s Falconets remain in contention for a place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after playing out a goalless draw with China at Arena Sosnowiec in Poland.
The result earned Nigeria their first point in Group F, following their 2-0 defeat to Spain in their opening game.
The Falconets created opportunities against China but were unable to convert any of their chances as both sides settled for a share of the points.
China entered the encounter on the back of a 5-0 victory over New Caledonia and moved to four points, leaving them second in the group.
Spain lead the standings on six points and have already booked their place in the Round of 16. The European side opened the competition with a 2-0 victory over Nigeria before recording one of the biggest wins in the tournament’s history.
Nigeria’s final group game will be against New Caledonia on Sunday, September 13, with the Falconets needing a positive result to keep their campaign going.
Another dropped point could bring their World Cup journey to an end.
Sports
D’Tigress Players Get $100,000 Each as FG Completes Tinubu’s Historic AFROBASKET Rewards
The Federal Government has paid the naira equivalent of $100,000 to each player of Nigeria’s senior women’s basketball team, D’Tigress, completing the cash component of the Presidential Rewards announced after the team’s historic triumph at the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket.
The National Sports Commission (NSC) also confirmed that each team official received the naira equivalent of $50,000.
According to the commission, the payments were made on September 9, 2026, and all players and officials have confirmed receipt of the funds.
D’Tigress made history by winning the 2025 FIBA Women’s Afrobasket title for a record fifth consecutive time and seventh time overall, further cementing Nigeria’s dominance in women’s basketball on the continent.
The NSC said the latest payment means the Federal Government has now fulfilled all components of the rewards promised by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the team.
In a statement signed by its Director of Information and Public Relations, Kehinde Ajayi, on Wednesday, the commission said the package comprised three-bedroom apartments in Abuja, national honours and cash awards.
«“The entire presidential rewards promised to each member of the team by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, comprising a 3-Bedroom flat in Abuja, national honours of OON and Naira equivalent of $100,000 to players and $50,000 to officials have been fully redeemed and completed,” the statement said.»
The commission recalled that D’Tigress players and officials had earlier received the title documents to their three-bedroom apartments in Abuja, as well as certificates confirming their national honours.
The documents were presented in February 2026 during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Lyon, France, and were duly signed by President Tinubu.
The NSC said the cash component was subsequently processed following the team’s participation in the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Germany.
Super Falcons Next in Line
The commission also provided an update on the Presidential Rewards promised to Nigeria’s senior women’s football team, the Super Falcons, following their achievements on the international stage.
The Falcons have already received title documents for their three-bedroom apartments in Abuja and certificates of national honours.
The documents were presented during the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, held in July and August.
The NSC said the cash component of the Falcons’ reward is expected to be paid before their next official engagements.
Under the package, each Super Falcons player is entitled to the naira equivalent of $100,000, while each official is to receive $50,000.
FG: Athlete Welfare a Priority
The National Sports Commission described the reward programme as part of the Federal Government’s broader effort to improve the welfare of Nigerian athletes and recognise outstanding sporting achievements.
The commission said the initiative aligns with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope and Shared Prosperity agenda, which it said places athletes’ welfare and appropriate rewards high on the government’s priorities.
It also commended President Tinubu for his support for Nigerian sports, saying his policies had strengthened the commission’s reform efforts and contributed to the development of a more sustainable sports economy.
The NSC further acknowledged the contributions of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation.
According to the commission, the collaboration helped ensure that the Presidential Rewards were implemented “in record time within the due process requirements.”
The payment brings to a close the Federal Government’s reward package for the D’Tigress players and officials, following their his
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