by Stuart Weir
This is Stuart Weir’s piece on the fab women’s 100-meter hurdle final! Tobi Amusan is shaking up the world of hurdling one championship at a time!
Women’s sprint hurdles
Tobi Amusen is the athlete of the moment following her world record in Oregon of 12.12, followed by a windy 12.06 in that World Championship final. While others question the timing equipment or give the credit to her shoes, Tobi Amusen just keeps on performing. She ran 12.40 (wind +2.4) to reach the Commonwealth Final and then won the final with a 12.30 race.
Behind her was a real blanket finish. Danielle Williams (Jamaica) was sixth but only 0.11 seconds from the silver medal.
1 Tobi Amusen (Nigeria) 12.30
2 Devynne Charlton (Bahamas) 12.58
3 Cindy Sember (England) 12.55
4 Megan Tapper (Jamaica) 12.67
The medals went to the form athletes. Both Charlton (12.46) and Sember (12.50) had set National records in Oregon. Sember had “bettered” her national record, set in the Oregon semi-final with a windy 12.38 in the World Championship final for fifth place.
The winner’s reaction was a real LOL moment! “It was a very poorly executed race, but I am just thankful for the win. I think my first five hurdles were rusty, but then I got it together. It could be much better, but I know what I can do”. I couldn’t agree more. It was one of the worst executed 12.3 races I have ever seen!!
Cindy Sember, a previous European indoor silver medalist, reacted to her first outdoor championship medal: “It feels amazing. I can’t imagine it. I’ve had a long season and have come back from a lot of injuries. An Achilles rupture took me out for about two years, and I’ve had a shoulder issue and hamstring, so I’m just grateful to be healthy.
“The world’s [Eugene 2022 world championships – fifth place] gave me a lot of confidence. I knew I had a chance to medal [here]. I feel very good and competitive, and this is only just the beginning for me.”
Like all elite athletes, she was not satisfied, always striving for better: “I could have gone out a little bit better, and my lean at the end wasn’t as good as it could have been and maybe cost me a silver, but for me that’s OK”.
Mrs. Sember – running then as Cindy Ofili – came fourth in the Rio Olympics. Then, in early 2017 came that horrendous injury. Frankly, I had doubts if she would ever get back to the 2016 levels. She persevered, experiencing how one big injury can lead to unrelated smaller ones. The first real ray of sunshine came in the European Indoors in 2021 when she and her sister Tiffany were in the medals. But in the Tokyo Olympics, she could only reach the semi-finals. Looking fully fit, with a fifth place in Oregon and a Commonwealth medal, and with a new coach – Chris Johnson in Arkansas – things are looking up.
