IBRAHEEM OGUNYEMI
Tobi Amusan against all odds emerged as the winner of the 100m race at the world championships on Monday.
She did not just win , she won in record time, winning in 12.06 seconds to become the first Nigerian Champion in the history of the competition.
Her journey has been noteworthy to say the least.
She missed out on a podium finish during last year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo after coming fourth in the final, at the previous Games in Rio, Brazil she ended up in 14th position, after reaching the semi-finals.
At her previous appearances at the World Championships 2017 and 2019, she finished 14th and fourth respectively.
The 25-year old athlete was an African and commonwealth champion , but it was her time to shine on the biggest stage of all, gliding past hurdles, leaving her competitors in her stride.
She showed the world signs of what to come in the semi-finals when she clocked an extraordinary 12.12secs to smash the former world record of 12.20secs held by Keni Harrison of the United States since 2016.
She beat Jamaica’s Britany Anderson (12.23secs) to silver, while Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Puerto Rico), who also finished in 12.23secs claimed bronze, after a photo-finish separated her and Anderson.
“The goal was to come out and to win this gold,” Amsan said.
“I believe in my abilities but I was not expecting a world record at these championships. You know, the goal is always just to execute well and get the win. So, the world record is a bonus.”
“And I am thankful. Before the final, I just tried to stay calm and do my best. I took a deep breath knowing that I have some goals to accomplish and it worked pretty good. I knew it was very fast but not this fast.”
Her achievement received wide commendations in Nigeria and beyond .
BEGINNING
Amusan was born in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State on April 27, 1997, the 5ft1in athlete shone at inter-house sports and inter-schools competitions, while attending Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu-Ode.
A young Amusan, was already showing promising signs when she won a silver medal at the 2013 African Youth Championships in Warri . She also claimed gold in the 100m hurdles at the 2015 African Junior Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa. In 2015, while making her African Games debut as an 18-year-old, she won the gold medal in the 100m hurdles.
In 2016, she moved to the US and as a freshman for The University of Texas at El Paso, Amusan became the university’s second athlete to be named C-USA Female Track Athlete of The Year – since UTEP joined C-USA – after winning gold in both the 100m hurdles and the 200m.
The following year, she represented Nigeria at the World Championships in London, where she managed a semi-final finish.
HER RISE
She first shone outside Africa at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, when she took everyone by surprise and beat 2015 world champion Danielle Willians to claim the gold.
She also won a bronze medal in the 4X100m relay with teammates Joy Udo-Gabriel, Blessing Okagbare and Rosemary Chukwuma.
In the same year, she won her first African Championships title in her specialist event and a gold medal in the 4X100m relay in Asaba
On November 7, 2016 she wrote on Twitter page, “Unknown now, but soon I will be UNFORGETTABLE…I will persist until I SUCCEED.”
6 years later , Amusan’s prophecy becomes a reality , she has etched her name in the history books forever.
#AMUSAN #NLC #STRIKE #JOHNSON #CBNGOVERNOR
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