Eugene, 25 July 2022 (TDI): The 25-years-old Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusan broke the 100m women’s hurdles world record in the World Athletics Championship on Monday.
The previous record of 100m hurdles was set in 2016 at 12.20 seconds. American athlete Kendra Harrison made the record.
It was finally broken on Sunday by Tobi Amusan when she made a stunning win in the semi-finals at 12.12 seconds.
She broke her record in the finals by completing the race in 12.06 seconds. It was, however, ruled ineligible due to wind speed exceeding the legal limit
Nonetheless, she won the first gold medal for Nigeria.
The President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, also praised the athlete on her win. He said her new World record and Gold Medal have bought joy and hope to all Nigerians.
I join millions of Nigerians in celebrating Tobi Amusan and her stellar performance, at the World Athletics Championships 2022. Her new World Record and Gold Medal have brought excitement and joy and hope to all of us, and made our national anthem resonate on a global stage. pic.twitter.com/8wO7sF6kEH
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) July 25, 2022
The former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, also congratulated the athlete on her win. He said the way she cried when the Nigerian anthem played shows that there is a need for leaders that can help such ambitious youth make the country proud.
I sincerely congratulate Tobi Amusan on winning the 100M hurdles gold medal and setting a world record. Her tears at the ceremony podium while the Nigerian anthem played, connects that our dear country needs leaders to match the talents and ambitions of her youths.-PO
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) July 25, 2022
In an interview, Tobi Amusan expressed that she was not expecting to break the world record. She said that she just did what she had to do and believed in her abilities which bought her great success.
Previous achievements:
Tobi Amusan is one of the excelling athletes in the history of Africa.
Previously, she had stood 4th in the World Championship held in Doha three years ago.
She also held the title of the first Nigerian to win a Diamond League Trophy in 2021. Consequently, she broke the 23-year-African record of Glory Alozie, who finished the race in 12.44 seconds. she set her record at 12.42 seconds.
In June 2022, she broke her record by completing the race within 12.41 seconds during Paris Diamond League.
The records breaker now stands at the position of being the third in the history of Nigeria, who has successfully defended her title in sprint hurdles. The other two ladies were Maria Usifo (1984 and 1985) and Glory Alozie (1996, 1998, and 2000).
