popular

Photo: Kate Green via OISPhotos.

Ayomide Bello Is the First Nigerian Woman Canoeist to Qualify for the Olympics

The young athlete is headed for Olympic gold at the 2020 games in Tokyo.

Nigerian woman are making their mark across all areas of sport, and now for the first time ever the country will be sending its first ever woman canoeist to the Olympics.

At just 17, Ayomide Bello will become the first female Nigerian canoeist to compete at the Olympic games when they head to Tokyo in 2020. The teenager beat out other African contenders at the C1 200 event at Africa's Tokyo 2020 qualifiers in Morocco last week to claim the spot, according to BBC Sport.

Keep reading...
News Brief
Giannis Antetokounmpo, winner of the Best Male Athlete award, attends The 2019 ESPYs at Microsoft Theater on July 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images)

Giannis Antetokounmpo Wins 'Best Male Athlete' & 'Best NBA Player' of the Year Awards at 2019 ESPYS

It's safe to say the Greek-Nigerian athlete is having an incredible year.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is having a stellar year. After being named Most Valuable Player at the NBA Awards last month, the star athlete took home both the Best Male Athlete of the year award and the Best NBA Player of the year at last night's ESPY (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) Awards.

It was the Greek-Nigerian player's first time being nominated for Best Male Athlete, and he beat out the likes of Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and golf star Brooks Koepka to earn the win.

He was up against fellow NBA stars James Harden, Kevin Durant and Paul George for Best NBA Player of the year. This year was the player's second time being nominated for the award and his first win.

The 24-year-old athlete was all smiles when he took to the stage to accept the award for Best Male Athlete, jokingly referencing his heartfelt MVP speech and telling the audience: "this won't be like the NBA speech, I'm not going to cry today."

"When you believe in your dreams, things like this can happen," he added.

The annual ESPY Awards, established in 1993, recognize achievement in the sports world by honoring its best players across various fields. With his breakout performance in the league this year, it makes sense that Antetokounmpo would receive not one but two of these prestigious awards.

get okayafrica in your inbox

news.

popular.