Record-Breaking Tobi Amusan Wins Gold Medal At World's Athletics Championships.

 

Nigeria's athlete triumphs with an unparalleled global record of 12.06 seconds.

On Sunday evening, Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan changed the course of history, winning the women's 100m hurdle gold with a record of 12.06 seconds at the World's Athletic Championship at Hayward Field in Eugene,Oregon. Not only did she dispute the doubts about her during the semifinals as she gained a record of 12.12 seconds shattering the record of 12.20 seconds held by Keni Harrison of the United States of America in 2016, Tobi also hit new record in the finals cementing her victory.

"Unknown now, but I will be UNFORGETTABLE.... I will persist until I SUCCEED...." The athlete tweeted in November,2016. Even though the odds were stacked against her, she chose to persist.

   As the popular adage says "he who wears the crown must bear the weight", Tobi Amusan, from a young age was inclined to sports and would often sneak onto the field. She was born in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria to two school teachers who reportedly have a history in sports activities but were sceptical about her full involvement in sports. Like most athletes in Nigeria, Amusan started off her sports journey as a football player before competing in track races and despite going through many hurdles as a Nigerian athlete, resilience and determination kept her going coupled with support from her mother. She shared that her disciplined life helped her greatly, in retrospect she inculcated more of it in her life.

Tobi's journey into athletics as a career began on the day she caught the eye of a former amateur decathlete, Ayodele Solaja who had reportedly trained her prior to the race that took place in her school, Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Ijebu Ode. It was at this event that the scout discovered her exceptional talent and recommended that she join the Buka Tiger Athletics Club.

This served as a push towards the right direction for her, following that she travelled to the United States and had her tertiary education at University of Texas, El Paso, she also joined the college team (UTEP Miners). Her career majors on track and field athletics specialising in 100 metres hurdles and sprinting. 

Her achievements in athletics are quite numerous since 2013 when she won a silver medal at the 2013 African Youth Championships in Warri, up to date when she made an historic achievement as the first Nigeria's World Champion at the Athletics Championship.

This major global record has served as an inspiration to other youths in Nigeria. Indeed, it was a sensational moment as the Nigerian national anthem was played at the world track and field championships in Eugene, Oregon.

During the interview after her race, Amusan stated, "I go out there and put 100% in every championship and it's just never enough. Every time it's a fourth-place finish.

"Then this time my 100% is not only a gold medal but a world record. Trusting myself just made everything easier. I'm thankful to the man above for keeping me healthy. When God says it's your time, it's your time."