by Deji Ogeyingbo
Deji Ogeyingbo was so happy about Tobi Amusan’s win and new WR in the 100 meter hurdles. He made me promise to post it right away, and I did!
Tobi Amusan etches her name into sporting immortality, and wins Nigeria’s first Gold in the history of the world championships.
Never in the history of the world championships has a Nigerian won Gold, but all that became a thing of the past when Tobi Amusan blazed to victory in the final of the women’s 100m Hurdles. That was the end of what has been a journey to glory for this diminutive sprint-hurdler who has had to endure ignominy at global championships.
Two hours before the final of the women’s 100mH, Amusan lined up in a stacked semifinal; over 24 hours after she had lowered the African record to 12.40, she beat Kendra Harrison to break the American record by clocking 12.12s. It was at that fleeting moment that Amusan knew history was within sight.
Back in 2015, Amusan talks a great deal about being able to just travel as part of Nigeria’s team to the African Games in Congo Brazzaville. Before then, she was doing the sprints and the jumps. Her performances were just getting her by, not enough to qualify her for a global championship.
She decided to focus on the hurdles, which became a turning point. Despite starting the year with a season’s best of 14.26s, Amusan went on to clinch Gold in Brazzaville. From then on, Amusan never looked back.
Gold at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, two-time African Champion (2018 and 2022), and African record holder, Amusan needed to etch her name into sporting immortality by winning a medal at a global championship.
Cue in Oregon. A city Amusan won her NCAA title in 2017. Incidentally, the track capital of the world was going to host sports biggest championships. The stars were aligning for her. Her event was going to be on the night day, though. Meditating on race execution, looking back on a spectacle season, and maybe practicing her celebration. It was a long wait before her event started.
After Bahamian quarter-miler Shaunae Miller-Uibo scooped Gold in the 400m on Day eight of the Amusan took her pen and wrote on the Adidas hospitality board, “Tobi Amusan- Incoming World Record holder and World champion”. Two days later, it came to reality.
Check, check and check.
From the rounds, some of the pre-race favorites didn’t look as smooth as Amusan. Some even fell down the wayside, like upstart Allysha Johnson. Still, her major nemesis was Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.
The Puerto Rican, who is the Olympic Gold medallist, has been her rival since college had a better head-to-head (6-5) than Amusan heading into the championships.
Amusan laid down the gauntlet with a world record in the semis. Surely it must have played on Camacho-Quinn’s mind heading into the final. Drawn on contrasting lanes, Amusan wasn’t the first out of the blocks, and maybe, the fears might have just lingered that she might crumble under the pressure. Nevertheless, Amusan kept her cool, got off the drive phase, and continued to streak away from the rest of the field to clock a wind-aided 12.06s (+2.5m/s) to win Gold.
It was her time to shine, and she did. “Coming into the semis, the goal was to execute well and win. I trusted my hard work and believed I could do it. Really glad to have finally achieved my goal.” Amusan said after the win.
It was quite a contrast to the 2019 World Championships, where she narrowly missed out on a podium and finished fourth. She was heartbroken.
Out of it was a promise — this wouldn’t happen again. She studied that race and what went wrong. Her trail leg was lagging a little bit. She cleaned up her form. She trained even harder.
At the Tokyo Olympics, despite being the best hurdler all on the African continent, she viewed herself as an underdog, where she once again came close to a medal as she finished fourth. So, heading into this season, it was going to be a watershed moment for her.
And it finally did. The first Nigerian to win Gold in the history of the world championships, a new National Record, Area Record, Personal Best, and World Record to take home. Amusan couldn’t have asked for more.
For just the first time in history, an athlete representing Nigeria, Africa’s largest country, stood on a podium with the Nigerian flag raised above two others as” Arise, O Compatriots” played. From a girl who just loved athletics and just wanted to compete for her country to making history, Amusan leaves Eugene having accomplished her mission. Next up, Paris.
