Tobi Amusan’s recovery thrills AFN boss

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan reacts after the women’s 100m hurdles semi-final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 23, 2023. (Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP)

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President of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN), Tonobok Okowa, has described as exemplary 100m hurdles world record holder, Tobi Amusan’s recovery from the ordeals of the last few months to compete in the final of the event at the ongoing World Championships in Budapest.

He described Amusan as a great fighter despite her inability to win a medal in the final of her event in Budapest on Thursday.

Amusan came sixth in the event’s final at the National Athletics Stadium, but Okowa said her patriotism and zeal, coupled with the never-say-die spirit she displayed at the championships has won the heart of Nigerians, both home and abroad.

“I am really short of words to describe Amusan,” Okowa told The Guardian on Friday. “I was inside the airport in Nigeria when Amusan competed, and the outcome of the race did not really matter to me. She is a great fighter considering what she passed through in recent weeks.

“I will continue to pray for Amusan. She should put this result behind and focus her attention on Paris 2024 Olympic Games. And as an athlete with the big heart, I see Amusan making a podium finish in Paris,” Okowa stated.

The AFN boss, who is also the president of African Region 2 Athletics, as well as chairman of Delta Sports Commission, also commended other Team Nigeria athletes at the 19th World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

“It is a game, and if you don’t win today, you will win tomorrow,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Amusan has said that she has shifted