Tobi Amusan Fails in Bid to Retain World Championships Gold

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan on Thursday evening failed in her bid to retain the women’s 100m hurdles gold medal  she won last year at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, clocking a dismal 12.62 to finish 6th in the race dominated by Jamaican Danielle Williams in 12.43 secs. 

The effects of the suspension clamped on Amusan by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) were clearly evident on the Nigerian as she failed to find her form after she was allowed to compete at Budapest 2023 just two days to the opening ceremony.

Surprisingly, with Amusan not in the psychological frame of mind to repeat her feat in Oregon 2022, all eyes were on former World Record holder, American Kendra Harrison to reclaim her title. That was not to be as it was the Jamaican Williams that hit the finish line first. 

Puerto Rican Olympic champion who has been unbeaten in the circuit this season, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, settled for the silver in 12.44 while Harrison was third in 12.46.

With Ese Brume’s failure to make the podium in the women’s long jump and now Amusan finishing 6th , Nigeria’s hope of winning a medal appears dim now. At the last edition in Oregon, USA, Nigeria won two medals in addition to the world record of 12.12sec set by Amusan in the women’s 100m hurdles. That however is the only thing standing before the next edition in two years time, when perhaps, Amusan would have recovered fully from the distraction of AIU suspension over three missed dope tests.