Pulse List 2018: Top 7 Nigerian sportsperson

Here is the Pulse list of the top Nigerian sportsperson in 2018.

Nigeria is blessed with talented stars in several sports, several athletes that have been outstanding in the year 2018 while wearing the green and white.

From football to winter sports, some Nigerian athletes have put in extra effort in their different discipline to make the country proud.

Here is a compilation of the top performers in 2018 that did well in their various fields and were good ambassadors of the country.

1.    Ahmed Musa

Ahmed Musa is now a hero in every Nigerian household following his exploits for the Super Eagles at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

The 26-year-old forward has been a consistent performer for the senior national team over the years after his exploits with Kano Pillars in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL).

He has been reliable and is on course to break Vincent Enyeama’s and Joseph Yobo’s all-time appearances for the Super Eagles in the nearest future.

Musa had however struggled to be a starter in the Super Eagles in the build-up to the World Cup after he relinquished the captain’s band to Mikel Obi.

He took his opportunity at the world cup to remind Nigerians of his importance to the team at the tournament in Russia.

His two goals against Iceland in the second group stage game of the world cup brought so much joy to Nigerians.

His two goals made him Nigeria’s top scorer at the world tournament and has ever since not looked back putting in impressive performances for the team.

He was on target in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Seychelles and Libya and was rewarded for his performance with the footballer of the year by the Nigerian Sports award.

2.    Nigerian Ice Blazers

The Nigerian Ice Blazers that defied all odds to fly the country’s flag at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

The trio of Ngozi Onwumere, Akuoma Omeoga, and Seun Adigun made history as the first Nigerians to qualify for the winter Olympic games in the Bobsled event.

Before the year very few Nigerians had anything to do with the winter sports but the perspective on the tournament has changed due to the heroics of the Ice Blazers.

Simi took inspiration from the trio as she qualified for the Skeleton event of the 2018 Winter Olympics Games.

The American based athletes became the first Nigerians athlete to participate in an individual sport at the winter Olympics.

Their achievement was a source of inspiration for younger athletes and received a nomination from the Nigerian Sports Award for their contribution to the development of winter sports.

3.     Aruna Quadri

Nigerian Table Tennis star  Aruna Quadri had an amazing 2018 in a year where football was the main focus.

Quadri won so many laurels over the course of the year which saw him awarded with the Sportsman of the Year at the Nigerian Sports award for achievement in the year.

Quadri started the year with the Portuguese Cup with his club side Sporting Lisbon and proceeded to win two silver medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in the singles and team event.

The 29-year-old continued his impressive form by winning the Nigerian Open for the first time and then proceeded to pick up a ticket to represent Nigeria at the Liebherr 2018 table tennis Men’s World Cup which he participated.

He rounded the year with the  2018 ITTF-African Championships which he also won for the first time.

2018 was a year that Quadri brought table tennis to the forefront of sports in Nigeria and will hope to replicate his achievement next year.

4.    Odunayo Adekuoroye

Nigeria’s wrestling queen Odunayo Adekuoroye was once again at her best in 2018.

Odunayo won Gold in the 57kg freestyle event of the 2018 African Wrestling Championships held in Port Harcourt Nigeria.

She beat  Cameroonian Joseph Essombe to achieve the feat as the African champion.

Odunayo did not rest on her laurels and won another Gold medal for Nigeria in the wrestling event of the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast Australia.

She and four other athletes represented Nigeria at the 2018 World Wrestling Championships even though they did not win a medal Odunayo was a stand out performer.

She was rewarded with the Wrestler of the Year award at the Nigerian Sports Award beating fellow wrestler Blessing Oduduru to the award.

5.    Evelyn Akhator

Evelyn Akhator was a stand out performer for Nigeria’s D’Tigress at the 2018 FIBA Women’s World Cup.

The 23-year-old was impressive throughout the course of the tournament in Tenerife Spain, where she led D’Tigress to some unimaginable results.

Nigeria’s D’Tigress finished eight in the 16 team tournament and became the first African country to win two games on the world stage.

The African champions surprised the world and Evelyn played a crucial role in their achievements averaging 12.6 points and nine rebounds per game.

She received the Basketballer of the Year and Sportswoman of the Year award for her performance over the course of the Year.

6. Victor Moses

Super Eagles forward Victor Moses had another fantastic year for Club and country and is a worthy inclusion on the list.

At 27-year-old Moses played for one of the best teams in world football and is one of the few Nigerian stars to participate in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League where his Chelsea side were knocked out by Barcelona.

Moses was one of Antonio Conte’s trusted generals as he played the wing back role as a starter despite the arrival of Davide Zappacosta during the transfer window.

He played an integral role as Chelsea lifted the 2018 FA Cup and went on to score for the Super Eagles against Argentina in the FIFA World Cup.

7. Asisat Oshoala

Asisat Oshoala has been a consistent performer when called upon to represent her country and also was a good ambassador for her country overseas.

She did not participate in the Super Falcons outing at the 2018 WAFU Women’s World Cup  held in Ghana as the competition did not allow foreign based players.

She won the Chinese Women’s Super League with Dalian Quanjian in her second season in China.

She contributed a total of 10 goals as the joint second top scorer in the league to help her team to title.

Asisat then went on join with the Super Falcons of Nigeria as they won the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations.

She played a key role in Nigeria’s victory leading with goals and was one of the top performers for the Super Falcons.