Paris 2024: D’Tigress Heroic Despite Loss, Tobi Amusan Cruises To Semi-Final
Deji Omotoyinbo August 8, 2024
Rarely do you see a team shown so much love in a sporting loss like D’Tigress were at the Bercy Arena in Paris last night. The crowd gave Rena Wakama and her gutsy girls a standing ovation after the match and the Media from across the world couldn’t have enough of them after.
The Americans were the obvious favourites and pretty much cruised through the first 3 quarters and at a point threatened to blow out the Nigerians with a 30 point lead.
The 4th quarter though epitomised the passion and competitiveness D’Tigress have shown in this tournament.
Defiance, Aggression, Attitude.
They kept the US team at bay, winning the quarter by a score of 26-12 for a final score of 88-74.
At the end, the packed venue rose in appreciation of what the Nigerian Ladies have brought to the tournament and the Media Interviews showed how much regard and respect D’Tigress now command in the world of international Basketball and the latest FIBA rankings just released put Nigeria at number 8. Elite company indeed
Elsewhere, Tobi Amusan broke little sweat in reaching the Semi-Finals of the Women’s 100m Hurdles, winning Heat 1 with a fast 12.49 seconds time. She remains Nigeria’s brightest hope of a Medal finish.
Impressive youngster Samuel Ogazi placed 7th in the Men’s 400m Final but has shown enough potential in the event for future success. Ella Onojuvwevwo, Women’s 400m and Udodi Onwuzuruike, Men’s 200m faltered in the Semi-Finals stage, same as Ezekiel Nathaniel in the 400m Hurdles Semi-Finals. Edose Ibadin has to go the Repechage route in Men’s 800 metres after falling to qualify directly.
In others Sports, Christianah Ogunsanya lost her first round bout in the 53kg class Women’s Freestyle Wrestling while Ese Ukpeseraye had to settle for the Repechage in Women’s Keirin cycling.
Highlight for Team Nigeria today at the Games will be the Women’s Long Jump Final with the trio of Ruth Usoro, Prestina Ochonogor and Olympic Bronze Medallist Ese Brume lining up. Nigeria’s 4 by 100m Men and Women Relay teams will also take to the tracks in Round 1.
Esther Adekuruoye will hope to put the disappointment of Tokyo 2020 behind as she begins her campaign in Women’s 57kg Freestyle Wrestling while Rafiatu Lawal competes in Weightlifting Women’s 59kg class.
Also today there’s Canoeing Singles Women with Ayomide Bello and Beauty Otuedo in action.
USA will take their familiar place in the last four of the competition. D'Tigress head home having sent positive shockwaves around the basketball world.
While it was business as usual for USA as they continue to bear down on yet another successful title defense, Nigeria bowed out of the competition as basketball heroes.
They made history in so many ways and stepped off the court having been the first African team (men or women) to have even competed at this stage.
Turning point
There wasn't one in truth, USA just gradually used their talent and superior depth to slowly and steadily pull further and further clear. Only a late Nigeria flurry of points cut the margin to a more respectable level.
Game heroes
A'ja Wilson had another game to remember, with the forward posting a performance efficiency valuation of 32 after producing 20 points from a 9 of 11 shooting effort - as well as grabbing 11 rebounds.
Stats don't lie
USA finishing with 70% shooting from two-point range is an epic number even for the defending Olympic champions.
Bottom Line
USA are looking like they are ready for their 'medal' games and completely locked in and on course for their usual success The forwards in particular are in good form and it will take something special to stop A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart and Brittney Griner - either in the Semi-Finals or the Final if they make it as expected.
Nigeria have been sensational. The underdogs attained historical and unprecedented success, winning the hearts of basketball fans not only in Africa, but beyond. Beating Australia and Canada showed their potential, while they didn't let USA have it all their own way in this last outing. Rene Wakama and her players have done an amazing job.
They said
"We're feeling really good as we got a lot of great contributions from everyone. We had to make sure that we came out with the right mindset and mentality. We knew how Nigeria played and we had to be ready for the physicality. It's amazing to play in front of different fans whether it is here in Paris or in Lille at these Olympics. [The USA program] It's the gold standard as we expect to go and win gold. We know that everything leading up to this was hugely important. We know that we carry a lot because of those who have played before us." USA forward, Breanna Stewart
"This team is one of a kind. I am blessed to be a part of this team and this group. These girls never give up and they always keep fighting through any adversity. We are going out, but I think we are not going out on any kind of negative note. I think we accomplished something big this year and we need to build on this for the future." Nigeria forward, Pallas Kunaiyi Akpana
Quick notes
- The USA remains undefeated in the quarter-finals at the Olympics, winning their eight game in this phase: however, this was their closest win at the quarter-finals of the Olympics, with their seven previous games being all won by 15 or more points.
- Nigeria scored more than 73 points in consecutive games for the first time at the Olympics: their 26 points in the fourth quarter of today’s game are the most the USA has ever allowed in the last quarter of a game in the competition.
- The USA have made 30+ assists for the 10th time at the Olympics, while no other team have had more than three such games in the history of the competition. They are the only team to have had multiple games with more than 30 assists in a single tournament: this year and in 2016.
- With her four assists in tonight’s game, Diana Taurasi is the fifth player to have dished out 100+ assists at the Olympics; she is the only player to have made 300+ points and 100+ assists in the competition.
- A’Ja Wilson completed her fifth double-double at the Olympics (20pts & 11reb), more than any other player in the competition since Wilson debuted in Tokyo 2020; this was her second double-double against Nigeria after having 19 points and 13 rebounds in the last Olympics.
A 5km natural gas pipeline network has debuted in Victoria Island, connecting Eko Atlantic City, Lagos, courtesy of Axxela Limited and NGML.
This milestone marks a significant achievement in Axxela and NGML’s ongoing 72.5km pipeline infrastructure project, which will span from Victoria Island to the Lekki metropolis. The newly commissioned 5km pipeline network traversing from Outer Marina to Kuramo Beach is the first phase of the project and is expected to connect customers from Five Cowrie River by Army Officers’ Mess in Bonny Camp, all the way to the proposed Lekki International Airport.
According to Kehinde Alabi, Axxela’s Chief Operating Officer, “The commissioning of the first phase of this ambitious 72.5km pipeline network underscores our commitment to expanding natural gas infrastructure within the Greater Lagos Area. By connecting Eko Atlantic City to first gas, as a pioneer customer on this axis, we are paving the way for more access to the natural gas advantage; providing reliable energy solutions that can aid economic development. For us at Axxela, we are not only fueling businesses, but we are enabling the development of self-sustaining clusters, whilst strengthening Nigeria’s socio-economic growth”.
Also speaking, Justin Ezeala, Managing Director, NNPC Gas Marketing Limited (NGML), “Over the past two decades, NGML and Axxela have been renowned for their pioneering efforts and immense contribution to natural gas advocacy, this expansion project is a further reaffirmation of our partnership and dedication to natural gas infrastructure development across Nigeria and Africa. We are optimistic that advancing the natural gas pipeline network to the highly commercial Victoria Island and the rapidly developing Lekki area is a step in the right direction”.
Managing Director of Eko Atlantic City, David Frame, highlighted the significance of being the first customer to be connected and benefit from the project. “This development not only ensures a more efficient, stable, affordable and reliable supply of energy for our power generation needs but also sets a good benchmark for modern urban living. Beyond the immense socio-economic benefit, the sustainable nature of natural gas aligns with our vision of creating a future-ready city that prioritises energy efficiency and environmental sustainability”.
“The collaboration between Axxela, NGML and Eko Atlantic City will help the urban coastal city meet its energy needs efficiently and reliably. Eko Atlantic city is currently developing a 60MW capacity gas powered plant infrastructure which is expected to be commissioned in the coming years. As this futuristic city expands, its power requirements are substantial and critical for both residential and commercial activities. Axxela, a market leader in natural gas processing, distribution and power development, brings extensive experience of delivering piped gas to about 200 industrial and commercial customers via a vast natural gas infrastructure network.”
Eko Atlantic City, also known as Nigeria’s International Commercial Centre, is an innovative coastal city located in the heart of Victoria Island. With its grand infrastructural design that houses world class, large scale financial, residential and commercial developments, the city has become an undeniable hub of economic opportunities. This new city development embodies self-sufficiency and sustainability with cutting-edge urban planning, power generation, advanced engineering and technology.
Upon completion, the project will deepen domestic gas utilisation as companies, and businesses along the Victoria Island-Lekki corridor will have access to pipeline network infrastructure and natural gas will be readily available for utilisation across various market segments including cooling, feedstock for industries and decentralised power solutions amongst others.
naptu2: She has been a tv presenter, actress and singer since the early 1980s. She is one of the most well known Nigerian singers.
He is a Nigerian doctor that was based in Sweden in the 1990s. His songs were top of the charts in many European countries and featured on the Billboard charts. Some of his songs have been used as theme songs for soap operas in the UK, Germany and India.
The common denominator here, is the tv show Morning Ride.
1) Woman with Onyeka Onwenu in the second photograph and with Femi Segun in the third photograph.
Pamela Mojekwu was the most famous fitness trainer in Nigeria in the 1980s and early 1990s. She had her own tv show on Lagos Television, an exercise segment on Morning Ride (on NTA2 Channel 5) and columns in Vanguard Newspaper, Lagos Weekend newspaper and many magazines.
She also owned an exercise studio called The Bodyshop. Its headquarters was in Ilupeju, with branches at Surulere and Festac. Stars like Onyeka Onwenu, were regular customers at The Bodyshop.
She had a little daughter that suffered from sickle-cell disease. The daughter used to appear in some of her exercise sessions on Morning Ride, performing exercises for children and sicklers (the daughter was around 7 or 8 years old at that time).
She and her assistant (the karate instructor at The Bodyshop) also appeared in a Vitamalt advert.
She left Morning Ride in the mid-1990s, in order to take care of her daughter (in fact, she practically vanished from the scene).
Pamela Mojekwu moved to the US in the early 2000s, partly in order to get treatment for her daughter. She was involved in a car accident in 2009, in which her (now grown up) daughter died.
The City of Chicago charged her with vehicular homicide. The court found her guilty of vehicular homicide and she was jailed.
I believe that everybody can recognise Onyeka Onwenu (carrying the dumbbells in the second photograph). I don't need to introduce her.
She has appeared on Morning Ride many times. I remember one particular occasion, when she appeared with King Sunny Ade to promote their songs about family planning ( "Choices" and "Wait For Me" ) in 1990. Danladi Bako was interviewing them and they were responding to his questions, when an air force officer sitting near me exclaimed, "Wow!" He was shocked because he didn't know that King Sunny Ade could speak proper English. He kept on exclaiming throughout that segment, "Wow! You don't mean it! This is Sunny!".
naptu2: Onyeka Onwenu presenting Contact. This was in 1986 or '87 or '88.
I remember that there were two series of Contact and that a man presented the other series. I can't remember who the man was, but I think it was Patrick Oke. I can remember the backdrop though. It was a view of Marina taken from somewhere around Federal Palace Hotel. The background footage must have been shot from around 6:30 to 7:30 in the evening because we could see the transformation from evening daylight to complete darkness.
For the first time ever, the Federal Government of Nigeria unveiled a policy on family planning c1986. They advocated that families should have only 4 children ( journalists reminded President Babangida of this policy in 1989 when Halima was born . Halima is Babangida's fourth child).
There were messages about family planning on popular Nigerian tv shows like Village Headmaster and the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Information produced jingles and adverts about family planning. The first condom adverts (Right Time Condom and Gold Circle Condom) appeared on Nigerian tv screens c1990.
Onyeka Onwenu and King Sunny Ade had produced duets c1988 and they were two of the most popular musicians in Nigeria at that time, so some foreign aid agencies approached them and asked them to record songs about family planing. This resulted in 2 songs - Wait For Me and Choices. There were a lot of stars in the Choices video (Olisa Adibua, etc).
Sunny Ade and Onyeka Onwenu embarked on a tour to promote the album and the message in the songs. They visited schools, hospitals, ministries, etc and of course they appeared on tv shows.
Morning Ride was the most popular breakfast tv show in Nigeria in the late 1980s and early '90s. It was created by Danladi Bako who presented the show from 1988- c1991. It usually previewed the social events that would take place that weekend. For example, contestants in the Miss Intercontinental, Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria and Miss Nigeria beauty pageants, foreign wrestlers taking part in the weekend's wrestling shows, musicians performing at that weekend's concerts, etc would appear on Morning Ride to promote their shows. The latest happenings at the Super Eagles' camp would also be shown (if there was a football match on that day). They also showed the previous weekend's society wedding and the show also served as a forum for state governors to tell their citizens who are resident in Lagos what they are doing back home.
So, Onyeka Onwenu and Sunny Ade appeared on Morning Ride (c1989) to promote the album.
There was an air force officer in the house that morning. Danladi Bako and Sunny Ade were interacting very well and I was enjoying the show when the air force officer exclaimed, "Wow!" The exclamation was so loud that everybody turned to look at him. "I never knew that Sunny Ade could speak english like this", he said. Throughout that interview the guy's face was a picture of shock. He kept exclaiming, "Wow! You mean this is Sunny Ade!"
I couldn't stop laughing.
naptu2: One of two family planning songs that were sponsored by the UN and one of three duets by
King Sunny Ade and Onyeka Onwenu - Wait For Me (1989).
Sports › Re: Nigeria Lose To The United States 74 - 88 In Women's Olympic Basketball by naptu2(op): 8:00am On Aug 08, 2024*. Modified: 8:25am On Aug 08, 2024
Onyeka, Sunny and Danladi - memories.
I couldn't stop laughing.