Nigerian track and field star Tobi Amusan on Sunday, September 14, secured her place in the women’s 100m hurdles semifinals at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Amusan, the current world record holder, dominated her heat, finishing with a time of 12.53 seconds.
The 28-year-old confidently led the race from start to finish, despite having a slower reaction time off the starting blocks.
The victory saw her finish ahead of Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas and Elena Carraro of Italy, who placed second and third, respectively.
Now ranked ninth globally, Amusan is set to compete in Heat 2 of the semifinals against formidable opponents, including Nadine Visser from the Netherlands, the world’s third-ranked hurdler.
The rules for advancing to the final are straightforward: the top two finishers from each of the three semifinal heats will automatically qualify, along with the two athletes who record the fastest times outside of the top two.
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In another event, Nigeria’s Oyesade Olatoye was unable to qualify for the hammer throw final.
The US-born athlete, who has represented Nigeria since 2019, posted her best throw of 68.82 meters on her third attempt, improving upon her initial throw of 66.78 meters.
However, this was not enough to secure a spot in the final, as she finished 10th in her qualification group, ending her championship run.
Following Olatoye’s elimination, Amusan, an Ogun-born athlete is now the last remaining Nigerian female athlete in the competition.
On 16 July 2023, she clocked a new season best of 12.34 seconds in the 100 m Hurdles at the Silesia Diamond League meet.
