Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan has been named Africa’s best female athlete for the Year 2022.
The latest honour was conferred on Amusan by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA) on Tuesday, December 20.
Amusan has been far above her contemporaries this year. The record holder emerged victorious at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham where she set a record and also the World Championships in Oregon, where she set a new World Record of 12.12s in the Hurdles event.
She also won the Diamond League trophy for the second successive season, highlighting her rating as one of the world’s best and Africa’s undisputed number one at the moment.
Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon and Ethiopia’s Letesenbet Gidey who are both world champions in the 1500m and 1000m were ranked second and third respectively behind Amusan who has enjoyed a phenomenal year.
Despite failing to claim the global accolade of the World female Athlete of the year won by America’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone,Tobi made history as the first Nigerian to be nominated for the award. She is also the first Nigerian to win gold at the World Championships.
McLaughlin-Levrone, who lowered her 400m hurdles world record twice this year, won the award for the first time. She became the first American to win Athlete of the Year since fellow 400m hurdler Dalilah Muhammad in 2019.
While Amusan was voted Africa’s best female athlete, Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco emerged as the continent’s best male athlete.
A world champion and winner of the Diamond League Final, Bakkali was unbeaten in all his 2022 races.
The Kenyan duo of Eluid Kipchoge and Emmanuel Korir finished 2nd and 3rd respectively behind the Moroccan.
Meanwhile, sprinters Letsile Tebogo and Faith Cherotich have been voted as Africa’s best male and female prospects, respectively.
