World Athletics Offers Amusan Budapest 2023 Lifeline 

*To allow the Nigerian defend her World Championship title if cleared by AIU

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Despite not listing her in Nigeria’s squad to the 2023 World Athletics Championships starting next week Saturday in Budapest, Hungary, world record holder in women’s 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, may still defend her title if cleared by Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

Amusan, 26,  who last year rewrote the history of the sport in Oregon , USA, setting a new world record of 12.12secs in the semi final and followed up with a wind assisted 12.06 (+2.5m/s) in the final to take the gold, is currently battling to save her career after she was suspended for three whereabouts failures.

She appealed her suspension and is to get a hearing before the opening day of the Worlds.

Technically, she is excluded from competing in any competition but given her status as world record holder and the defending champion of the sprint barrier event may have informed why World Athletics gave her that lifeline to compete if cleared by AIU  before the start of Budapest 2023.

The World Championships remains the only competition Amusan has not had the opportunity to defend after she successfully defended her Nigeria, African Championships, African Games, Commonwealth Games and Diamond League titles. Also missing from her rich chest of medals is the Olympic Games medal which most track & field aficionados were looking toward to Paris 2024 Games to make that happen, given her current devastating form.

The Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) released the list of athletes to represent Nigeria at Budapest 2023 early this week with women’s long jumper, Ese Brume leading the country’s hope for medals.

Also on that list is Imaobong Nse Uko who will be making her debut in the championship will run in the women’s 400m event.

Others confirmed include; Rosemary Chukwuma (100m), Favour Ofili (200m), Seye Ogunlewe, Usheoritse Itsekiri and Favour Ashe (100m), Alaba Akintola (200m) and Ezekiel Nathaniel (400m hurdles).

Ruth Usoro was listed to join Brume as Nigeria’s second entrant  in the women’s long jump event.

Chioma Onyekwere, Pamela Obiageri Amaechi and Ashley Anumba will compete in the Discus event while Oyesade Olatoye is the sole entrant in the hammer throw event.

The championships will run from August 19 to 27 and Nigeria’s contingent to Budapest will be seeking to add to the one gold, five silver and five bronze medals won by their predecessors since 1983. The outing at Oregon remains the country’s best to date.