Get Guardian on Google
Tijani and Susana Cole have won Nigeria its first world curling championship match at Stavanger, Norway.
The couple celebrated wildly as France’s rock careened wide to end the mixed doubles game on Thursday afternoon.
Nigeria defeated France 8-5 at the 2019 mixed doubles world curling championship to become the first ever African country to win a match at the tournament.
“Nigeria we did it for you,” Tijani said per CBC Sports. “I’m over over-the-top happy, elated, excited.
“Our motto, as you can see on our brooms, is ‘we won’t be outworked.
“It’s something we look at every day and we say as long as we don’t get outworked, we are proud of what we do.”
My interview with Tijani and Susana Cole.
Husband and wife. Curling for Nigeria.
They just got the country’s first curling win ever.
VIDEO #cbccurl @CBCOlympics pic.twitter.com/cK7S0atAcB
— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) April 25, 2019
The curlers were celebrated by the fans and other curlers at the Sormarka Arena. The victory, however, was not enough to see them qualify for the next round with Australia and the Czech Republic progressing from the Group C round-robin competition.
[ad]
Despite a 20-0 loss to Czech Republic, the couple held on to their dream of winning Nigeria’s first match at the championship.
“What a great dream to share this with your best friend, my wife,” Tijani said. “You go through so many trials and tribulations. It’s been a long journey.”
Tijani and his wife Susana started curling three years ago in Denver, USA where they live together.
“All of our hard work has paid off. We did it,” Susana said.
Tijani and Susana thanked his friends in Nigeria and the Nigeria Curling Federation for their support in helping them achieve this feat.
[ad]
