Tobi Amusan:Turning Attention to Third Diamond League Victory

When last month the World Athletics Federation named Tobi Amusan as one of the five finalists for Women’s World Athlete of the Year Awards-the first Nigeria to make the top five list, many Nigerians were optimistic that the 25-year-old might clinch the award after her world 100m hurdles record feat in Oregon. She also won a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games before retaining her Diamond League title. However, it was not to be as Amusan finished second runner-up behind Sydney McLaughlin and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce as she now turns attention to a third consecutive Diamond League title

World Record holder in 100 metres hudles, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, was on Monday voted behind Sydney McLaughlin and Jamaica’s Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce as the World Athletics Female Athlete of the Year for 2022 season.

Prior to the award ceremony, it looked promising for Amusan who broke the World Record in the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 12.12s at the World Championships in Oregon, successfully defended her Commonwealth Games title setting a new Games Record of 12.30s, retained her Diamond League title clocking a Meeting Record and won the African title.

Doing this, she became the first Nigerian female athlete to achieve these feats, which put her in a solid contention for the prestigious award.

However, it was McLaughlin who took the night having had a fantastic season herself. The American broke the 400m hurdles World Record on two occasions and won two gold medals at the World Championships in Oregon.

The two-time Olympics and three-time World 400m hurdles champion first broke the World Record in June, at the USA World Championships trials in Eugene, running an outstanding 51.41s.

Barely a month later, the 23-year-old ran an incredible 50.68s to successfully retain her World title, breaking the World Record for the second time this year. Thereafter, she helped the USA 4x400m relay team secure a third consecutive World title, with a blazing split time of 47.91s. By comparison, no other runner in the field ran a split time faster than 49.39s, and only five women, including McLaughlin, ran under 50s with their splits.

“All my goals were accomplished this year,” said McLaughlin. “We were able to accomplish everything we set out to do. It couldn’t have been any better, and I was so grateful that I was able to produce that performance in front of a home ground.” McLaughlin concluded in an interview with World Athletics.

Fraser-Pryce was another huge contender for the award, having had an incredible consistent 2022 season.

The Jamaican surpassed the 10.70s mark in the 100m seven times throughout this season and one of those performances – her 10.67s in Oregon – saw her become the first athlete to win five World titles in a single individual running event.

In her 15th season of international racing, the 35-year-old sprint star continued to blaze a trail.

Amusan will take solace in the fact that she’s the first Nigerian athlete in history to be amongst the five finalist for the distinguished award, and eventually finish as second runner-up. Meanwhile, Amusan’s bid for a third consecutive Diamond League title will begin in May, next year after she successfully retained her Diamond League title in 2022.

Her quest for a third consecutive Diamond League title will begin at the event’s season opener in Doha, Qatar, on May 5, 2023, as the World Athletics has released the 2023 provisional calendar. The two-time Diamond League Champion may be competing in Doha if the meeting organisers include the 100m Hurdles among the events to be competed for at the meet for the second year running.

Amusan started her Diamond League campaign at the same meet this year, finishing a close second behind former World Record holder Keni Harrison, who clocked a wind-aided time of 12.43s, ahead of the Nigerians’ 12.44s.

However, Amusan turned it around by gathering enough points during the season, which earned her a spot in the final leg in Zurich, where the newly crowned World Champion and record holder successfully retained her Diamond League title with a new Meeting Record of 12.29s.

Doing this, she became the first Nigerian athlete in history to win two Diamond League titles, her first win in 2021 when she sped to a then African Record of 12.42s, to become the first Nigerian in the Diamond League era to win a trophy.

The 2023 provisional Diamond League calendar, which for the first time includes 15 host cities across 12 countries and four continents, was released by the World Athletics and the final scheduled to hold outside Europe for the first time in 14 years.

The final is scheduled for Eugene, Oregon, at the Prefontaine Classic, where Amusan will seek to be among the 32 champions for the third time in a row. These champions will become new Diamond League trophy holders across two days of elite athletics action on September 16 and 17, 2023.