Amusan breaks record, becomes first Nigerian to win gold medal at World Athletics Championship

 

Tobi Amusan surged to victory in the women's 100-meter hurdles on Sunday in Oregon, becoming the first Nigerian athlete to win a gold medal at a World Athletics Championship.

Amusan crossed the finish line at Hayward Field in 12.06 seconds after shattering the world record in an astounding semifinal with a time of 12.12 seconds.

However, a strong following win of 2.5 meters per second means that her winning time will not be recognized as a world record.

Britany Anderson of Jamaica won silver in 12.23 seconds, while Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, an Olympic champion, won bronze in 12.23.

In the semi-finals, Amusan broke the previous record, which was held by American Keni Harrison and stood at 12.20 seconds from 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.

"I simply tried to maintain my composure and give it my all during the final. Knowing that I had a task to complete, I took a deep breath, and it seemed to work well.  I knew it was very fast but not this fast.”

After clearing the first obstacle in the semi final, Amusan was in great shape and quickly built a significant lead before pulling away in front of Anderson and the rapidly closing Camacho-Quinn.

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