Tobi Amusan Wins Nigeria’s First-Ever World Athletics Championships Gold

Tobi Amusan has become the first Nigerian athlete to win a World Athletics Championship gold as she blazed to victory in the women’s 100m hurdles in Eugene, Oregon.

Amusan, who had smashed the world record in the semi-final where she clocked 12.12 seconds, powered over the line at Hayward Field in an incredible 12.06 seconds.

However, her winning time will not be recognised as a world record due to an illegal tailwind of 2.5 metres per second.

Britany Anderson of Jamaica won silver in 12.23 seconds, while Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico had to settle for bronze in 12.23 seconds

Amusan had produced an astonishing world record in the semi-finals, smashing the previous best mark of 12.20 seconds held by American Kendra Harrison since 2016.

“Honestly, I believe in my abilities, but I was not expecting a world record at these championships,” Amusan said after her final victory. “The goal is always just to execute well and get the win. So, the world record is a bonus. I knew I had it in me but I could not believe it when I saw it on the screen after the semis.

“Before the final, I just tried to stay calm and to do my best. I took a deep breath knowing that I have some goal to accomplish, and it worked pretty good. I knew it was very fast but not this fast.”