“The ambition I like to see in Nigerians” – Super Eagles coach Jose Peseiro hails Nigeria’s record-making world champion

The Portuguese manager was left impressed by the exploits of two of the country’s finest athletes at the just concluded World Athletics meet

Super Eagles head coach Jose Peseiro has showered praises on Nigerian hurdler Tobi Amusan after she won the 100m hurdles at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon.

Nigeria’s long wait for the winner’s medal at the Athletics number one meet finally ended in the early hours of Monday when Amusan raced to victory on the event’s last day.

The 25-year-old beat a field of dominant champions, including former world record holder Kendra Harrison, Jamaica’s Britany Anderson, and Olympic Champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, to become Africa’s first ever gold medallist in the women’s 100m Hurdles.

Amusan had earlier set a new world record of 12.12 seconds in the semifinals. The Nigerian racer equally notched an astonishing 12.06 seconds in the final, which would have been another world record but for the excess wind.

At the Wanda Diamond League in Zurich last year, Amusan announced her arrival in the big leagues when she became the first ever Nigerian and African hurdler to win the Diamond League trophy.

Also, at the World Championships in Oregon, compatriot Ese Brume grabbed a silver in the long jump with a leap of 7.02meters.

Peseiro’s praises

Impressed by their feats, Portuguese tactician and handler of the Nigerian national football team Jose Peseiro has celebrated the two Nigerian track and field queens.

Peseiro noted that the motivation behind Amusan and Brume’s exploits is what he appreciates about Nigerians.

The former Sporting Lisbon manager wrote on Twitter: “Tobi Amusan set a world record and won the gold medal, while Ese Brume won the silver medal and both brought home two medals for Nigeria from the World Athletics Championship.

“This is the ambition I like to see in Nigerians! Congratulations to Team Nigeria.”

Thumbs up to Oshoala and the Falcons

In a similar vein, Jose Peseiro congratulated Super Falcons and Barcelona striker Asisat Oshoala after she was named the 2022 Africa Women Player of the Year.

Oshoala claimed the award for the fifth time, becoming the first woman to do so, outgunning compatriot and Nigerian great Perpetua Nkwocha, who has four.

Oshoala was unavailable due to injury as the Falcons fell in the semifinals of the 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Peseiro, however, applauded the nine-time WAFCON champions for qualifying for next year’s World Cup.

“With hard work and persistence, we can reap the rewards,” the tactician wrote on Twitter.

“Congratulations to Asisat Oshoala for winning her fifth CAF Women’s Player of the Year award and to the Nigerian national team for reaching their ninth consecutive World Cup!

“The whole country is proud of all of you.”

Jose Peseiro was only appointed head coach of the Super Eagles after the three-time African champions failed to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

He has, however, been mandated to lead the Eagles to make it to the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.