Ese Brume: I Promise To Only Get Better

Reigning Commonwealth Games Long Jump champion Ese Brume says the recognition she has received from Nigerians culminating in being conferred with a national award will spur her to do more.

Brume made history as the first Nigerian athlete since 1999 to win medals at the World Indoor and Outdoor championships and the first to hit the 7m mark at the Commonwealth Games.

She began the year 2022 with a silver medal at the World Indoor championships in Belgrade, Serbia and in the process became the first Nigerian since 2008 to mount the competition’s podium.

She also made it to the outdoor version in Oregon, USA where she also made history as the first Nigerian athlete to win individual medals at two editions of the championships.

The 26 year African Long Jump record holder (7.17m) extended her historic leaps to the Commonwealth Games where she became one of only two Nigerian track and field athletes to win individual medals at two editions of the Games.

Her 7m winning leap at the Games was also the first time an athlete will hit that mark in the history of the Games.

For her historic leaps, the first Nigerian athlete to win medals at all continental and global track and field championships including the African, Commonwealth and Olympic Games was conferred with a Member of the Order of Niger, MON by Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari last week.

An appreciative Brume expressed her delight with the recognition on her Facebook page and promised to do much more than she has done in honour of her fatherland.

‘I am extremely honoured to receive such an important award from His excellency @muhammadubuhari. I am earnestly grateful for the recognition I have received for my work.

‘Winning this award would not have been possible without the inspiration I have received from God from whom I have derived the strength to challenge myself and perform better at each stage.

‘I sincerely thank each one of you for your constant support. I can proudly hold up this award as a mark of my achievement.

‘I also promise to only get better at my work so that you can see me here for more of such awards’

The next target for Brume is to successfully defend the African Games she won four year ago in Morocco when the train moves to Ghana next year.

She will also be hoping to complete a hat-trick of World Championships medals with the gold this time after winning bronze in 2019 and silver in 2021.

Brume will also like to make a go at the Diamond League trophy as she will strive to become the second Nigerian woman after her good friend, Tobi Amusan and the first field eventer to win it.