Tobi Amusan: Will lightning strike twice?

Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan crosses the finish line ahead of Netherlands’ Nadine Visser in the women’s 100m hurdles semi-final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 23, 2023. (Photo: AFP)

After securing her place in the final of the 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships for the third consecutive time on Wednesday, Tobi Amusan gazed towards the sky and uttered, “Lord, I am grateful. I have nothing else but to thank you for the protection and strength you’ve granted me. The journey isn’t over yet, but I believe you’ll see me through.”

Tonight, the spotlight will be on Amusan at the National Athletics Stadium in Budapest for the final of the women’s 100m hurdles. As the defending champion, she now stands the chance to make further history. She impressively came from behind in the semi-final heat on Wednesday, clocking in at 12.56 seconds.

This evening, 26-year-old Amusan will strive to achieve a remarkable feat: becoming the first Nigerian to successfully defend all the titles she has secured throughout her career.

Amusan’s history of title defence began with her African Games victory in 2019. She continued the trend in 2022 by successfully defending her 100m hurdles title, which she initially won in Asaba, Delta state, in 2018. She also secured back-to-back wins in the Nigerian championships in 2022, and a mere two months ago during the National Trials in Benin City, completing a hat-trick of victories.

In the previous year, Amusan set a Games record of 12.30 seconds as she defended her Commonwealth Games title, which she first won in 2018. She concluded the year with another successful defence of her Diamond League title, achieving a 12.29 meeting record at the