Rangers International of Enugu midfielder, Chisom Egbuchulam, has emerged winner of the Footballer of the year of the Nigeria Sports Award.
Egbuchulam won the award ahead of Manchester City star, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Godwin Obaje of Wikki Tourist.
The midfielder was instrumental to the Flying Antelopes winning the 2015/2016 Nigeria Professional Football League after 32 years.
Egbuchulam’s club, Rangers, were also awarded the team of the Year ahead of the Dream Team 6 Olympic football team.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Paralympics team dominated the 5th edition of the award as Kehinde Paul and Lucy Ejike emerged Sport-man and Sport-woman of the year respectively.
The duo also won the Special Sport Person of the Year (Men) and Special Sport Person of the Year (Women) Categories.
Kehinde Paul won gold medal in the Powerlifting Men’s – 65Kg category, while Ejike Lucy not only won gold in the 79kg, 86kg and 61kg powerlifting event at the 2016 Paralympics games, but also broke the Paralympic Record and World Record by lifting 136kg, followed by a lift of 138kg and then a massive lift of 142kg.
Coach of the Powerlifting team, Are Feyisetan, emerged Coach of the Year, beating Coach Samson Siasia of the Nigerian Olympic football team (Dream Team VI) and Coach of Enugu Rangers, Imama Amapakabo.
In commemoration of the fifth edition of the award, Special Recognition Award was given out to some deserving sport personalities.
The first was given out to the League Management Company in recognition of its great job of turning around the Nigerian League.
The next Special Recognition Award went to Nigeria’s first sporting heroes, among who were the Nduka Ugbada-led 1985 under-16 FIFA World Cup winning team and they were represented by two members of the team, Imama Amapakbo and Jonathan Akpoborie.
The third Special Recognition Award went to Atlanta ’96 Olympic Gold Medal winning Football Team captained by Kano Nwankwo.
They were represented at the event by the trio of Emmanuel Babayaro, Dosu Joseph and Victor Ikpeba.
Also the 4X400 Nigerian Quartet Team that won silver, but was later upgraded to Gold with the ban of the US team at Sydney 2000, were also given the Special Recognition Award.
The duo of Maureen Madu and Joseph Yobo won the Special Recognition Awards for being the first ever Nigerian Woman footballer to achieve 100 caps and first Nigerian Man footballer to achieve 100 caps respectively.
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