10 African Sporting Firsts

We will look at 10 Sporting Firsts From Africa. In no particular order, we will see who did this or that first, in Africa as contained in history.

Below is a list, not in any particular order.

1. PLAY IN A WORLD CUP FINAL

In 1934, after much consultations, FIFA chose Italy as the host of the Second FIFA World Cup Finals. Twelve of the 16 places were allocated to Europe, three to the Americas, and one to Africa or Asia (including Turkey). Only 10 of the 32 entrants, and four of the 16 qualified teams (Brazil, Argentina, United States and Egypt, the first African team to qualify for a World Cup finals tournament), were from outside Europe.

Thus Egypt became the first African nation to take part in a FIFA World Cup Final.

2. WIN AN OLYMPIC MARATHON

Abebe Bikila Demissie won his first Olympic gold medal in the 1960 Olympics in Rome. His pair of shoes which he bought for the race could not fit well, so he ran the race barefooted.
The late-afternoon race started at the foot of the Capitoline Hill staircase and finished at the Arch of Constantine, just outside the Colosseum. The course twice passed Piazza di Porta Capena, where the Obelisk of Axum was then located. When the runners passed the Obelisk the first time Abebe Bikila was at the rear of the lead pack, which included, among others, Rhadi Ben Abdesselam of Morocco.
With 500 m (1,600 ft) to the end of the marathon, Abebe sprinted to the finish. In the early-evening darkness, his path along the Appian Way was lined with Italian soldiers holding torches. Abebe's winning time was 2:15:16.2, twenty-five seconds faster than ben Abdesselam at 2:15.41.6, and breaking Popov's world record by eight-tenths of a second. He became the first sub-Saharan African to win an Olympic gold medal. Immediately after crossing the finish line Abebe began to touch his toes and run in place and later said that he could have run another 10–15 km (6–9 mi).

3. FIRST AFRICAN SKIER

Lamine Guèye, the Senegalese skier, was the first black man to take part in the Winter Olympics.
Born in Dakar, Senegal, on 18 July 1960, Lamine Guèye was sent to live in Switzerland in 1968 following the death of his grandfather and namesake, Lamine Guèye, who was the leader of the Senegalese Party of Socialist Action and the National Assembly.
By the age of 17, Guèye already had taken up a keen interest in skiing. He made contact with the International Ski Federation and requested to create the Senegalese Ski Federation.
Guèye wrote the statutes of his new Federation in three different languages and presented them to Léopold Sédar Senghor, President of Senegal, who received them warmly.
Although Guèye continued to pursue the work of the Senegalese Ski Federation, he expected to be passed over for the 1984 Winter Olympics but was informed by the International Olympic Committee that he would be allowed to compete for Senegal. He, eventually, participated in the 1984 winter Olympics.

4. WIN AN OLYMPIC FOOTBALL GOLD

Nigeria made Olympic football history by becoming the first African and non-European and South American team to win the gold medal.
After a hard battle with the Argentines, Emmanuel Amunike pulled off some 11th-hour heroics as he took advantage of a botched offside trap and beat goalkeeper Pablo Cavallero from point-blank range for the winning goal in a 3-2 triumph. “I guarantee you that as I talk to you now, everyone in Africa is celebrating,” forward Sunday Oliseh said. “There is no sleeping tonight. Everyone will be happy. This is for all the African countries.”

5. UNDEFEATED WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION

While performing in Greece from a journey as a boxer, after being a tyre seller, Power Mike caught the eyes of a wrestling promoter.
He turned professional under the tutelage of Kalie Abdulkalie of Lebanon. After competing in Britain where he kickstarted a career, he came back to Africa in 1970 and in the same year he defeated Gambia's Massambula to become the African heavyweight wrestling champion and titleholder.
Power Mike was born as Michael Okpala on the 8th of August, 1939 to Echeobi and Janet Okpala at Neni, in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State in the eastern part of Nigeria. He was the firstborn of a family of three.
He challenged and defeated many wrestling champions before he retired undefeated. On March 11th, 2004, Power Mike died at the National Hospital, Abuja after a protracted illness.

6. ITTF SWIMMING OLYMPIANS

In 1899 South Africa established its First National Swimming Association, christened the South African Amateur Swimming Union (SAASU).
Indeed, this was Africa's first taste of Olympic swimming.

7. FIFA FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR

George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah is and remains the only African to have won the prestigious FIFA World Best Award.

Weah who was born 1 October 1966 has moved on to become a Liberian politician, eventually becoming the 25th President of Liberia in 2018.

In 1989, 1994 and 1995, he was named the African Footballer of the Year, and in 1996, he was named African Player of the Century. Known for his acceleration, speed, and dribbling ability, in addition to his goalscoring and finishing, Weah was described by FIFA as "the precursor of the multi-functional strikers of today". In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA 100 list of the world's greatest living players.

8. FIRST TO PLAY IN THE EPL

On his debut for Coventry City, Peter Ndlovu's impact was immediate as he scored away at Arsenal. He became the toast of Highfield Road with a thunderbolt winner against Aston Villa in November 1991, endearing him to the Sky Blues fans.
On 19 August 1992, he made history by being the first African footballer to play in the new English Premier League. His pairing with striker Micky Quinn in November continued t, with away wins at Tottenham Hotspur (2–0) Sheffield Wednesday (2–1) and Wimbledon (2–1) to add to already impressive home wins against Middlesbrough (2–1).
The former professional footballer and is currently the Team Manager at Mamelodi Sundowns F.C. a Premier Soccer League club in South Africa.

9. ITTF STAR PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Quadri Haruna
Source: wikipedia

In 2014, Nigeria born Quadri Haruna was ranked number 30 in world table tennis, and the International Table Tennis Federation named him the Star Player of the year.
Quadri Aruna who was born 9 August 1988, in Oyo, Nigeria is a Nigerian table tennis player. He competed for Nigeria at the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics, reaching the quarter-finals in the latter competition.
Haruna is a member of NSCDC (Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps). He was also part of the Nigerian team that won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

10. OLYMPICS 400M GOLD

Wayde van Niekerk
Source: Newsweek

In 2016, Wayde van Niekerk South African runner, 24, put Africa on the spotlight when he decimated a field including London 2012 gold medallist Kirani James of Grenada and U.S. sprinter LaShawn Merritt, a double Olympic champion, winning the Olympic 400m race with a time of 43.03 seconds.
With this, be shattered a 17yr old record set by Johnson.
This he did coming from lane eight, making him the first man to win an Olympic 400m title from the outside lane.