Amusan beat Jamaica’s Britany Anderson and Puerto Rican Jasmine Camacho-Quinn to win the event.
Nigerian sprinter Tobi Amusan made history in the early hours of Monday, July 25, 2022 (WAT) after beating the World Record in the women’s 100m hurdles event at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon. Amusan clocked 12.12 seconds in the semi-final of the event to beat the previous World Record of 12.20 seconds set by America’s Kendra Harrison in 2016.
Tobi Amusan, 25, would go on to gift Nigeria its first gold in the history of the World Athletics Championship after blazing to victory in a time of 12.06 seconds in the final, a time that would not be recognized as World Record because it was wind-aided. Jamaica’s Britany Anderson finished second in 12.23 seconds, while Olympic gold-medalist Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico finished third in 12.23 seconds.
https://twitter.com/WorldAthletics/status/1551430575394734080?s=20&t=_BhD5WRy6vx5FevGyjAQDA
An excited Amusan stated she did not think about breaking the global record while going into the event, noting that her sole aim always is to win.
“Honestly, I believe in my abilities, but I was not expecting a world record at these championships. 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 do my best. I took a deep breath knowing that I have some goals to accomplish, and it worked pretty good. I knew it was very fast but not this fast.”
Tobi Amusan
President Muhammadu Buhari also hailed Amusan’s achievement in a Twitter post, noting that her victory brings hope to the country.
“I join millions of Nigerians in celebrating Tobi Amusan and her stellar performance, at the World Athletics Championships 2022. Her new World Record and Gold Medal have brought excitement and joy and hope to all of us, and made our national anthem resonate on a global stage.”
President Muhammadu Buhari
The Athletics Championship in Oregon is Amusan’s third outing in the global showpiece since her debut in 2017 where she made it to the semis before finishing 4th in the 2019 edition in Doha. Amusan also finished 4th in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. She had smashed the African Record thrice in the space of 10 months before taking it to the globe in Oregon.
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