Tobi Amusan on Course for Final Ticket in Today’s Semis

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Tobi Amusan cruised to the finish line in 12.48secs to win Heat 5 of the women’s 100m hurdles event of the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary on Tuesday evening.

Jamaican champion, Megan Tapper, was second in 12.51 while Australia’s Michelle Jenneke placed third in 12.71 secs .

Today, the 26-year-old Nigerian sprint hurdler will line up  in Heat 2, Lane 7 of the semi final with the likes of Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, Netherlands’ Visser and USA’s Masai Russell in the quest for the ticket to Friday’s final.

Heat 1 is equally going to be explosive with top sprint hurdlers like Netherlands Maayke Tjin  A. Lim, Tapper, Charlton and Kendra Harrison also listed in that heat.

In the summary standing of all the five heats yesterday, Amusan placed third behind leader American Kendra Harrison whose 12.24 is the new World Leading time for the event this season. 

Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton (12.44) is second with Amusan placing third with her 12.48.

Baring any technical hitch, Amusan should be able to overcome the semi final hurdles and make the final a repeat of the last edition in Oregon, USA when she smashed the Wold Record in the event and further lowered it in the final but was denied due to above legal headwind.

Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (12.50); Jamaica’s Tapper (12.51) and  her compatriot, Danielle Williams (12.51) SB and American Nia Ali (12.55) are all waiting in the wing to profit from any slip from the favorites for podium placements.

The final of the women’s 100m hurdles is slated for the National Athletics Centre, Budapest on Friday. Amusan is the defending champion and record holder in the 100m women’s hurdles.

Yesterday also, Burkina Faso’s Hugues Fabrice Zango, earned his first global title after a dramatically fluctuating men’s triple jump final that ended with two Cubans sharing the podium with him, separated by a single centimetre.

The 30-year-old France-based athlete, who already had an Olympic bronze and world silver and bronze, completed his collection with the best of all colours at the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 after taking an early lead, losing it, and regaining it with his penultimate effort of 17.64m.

Silver went to 25-year-old Lazaro Martinez on 17.41m, with his 24-year-old teammate Cristian Napoles earning bronze with a personal best of 17.40m.

There was disappointment for Jamaica’s 18-year-old rising talent Jaydon Hibbert, who had to scratch from the competition after the first round.