Amusan makes history with silver medal finish at World Athletics Championships in Tokyo

Nigeria’s sprint sensation, Tobi Amusan, added another remarkable chapter to her illustrious career on Monday night in Tokyo, Japan, as she stormed to a silver medal in the women’s 100m hurdles final at the 20th World Athletics Championships.

Despite a slow start, Amusan displayed her trademark acceleration and technical precision to finish in 12.29 seconds, narrowly behind Switzerland’s Dijati Kambundji.

The reigning world record holder and 2022 world champion has now become the second Nigerian athlete to win two medals in the same event at the World Championships, following long jumper Ese Brume, who previously secured both silver and bronze in her discipline.

Amusan also joins Brume and Blessing Okagbare as the only Nigerians to have won two medals in World Championships history. Okagbare achieved her double medal feat at the 2015 edition in Beijing, China.

Amusan’s latest achievement places her among an elite group of global hurdlers who have won multiple medals in the 100m hurdles at the World Championships.

This distinguished list includes Gail Devers (three gold, two silver), Ludmila Engquist, Olga Shishigina, Michelle Perry, Perdita Felicien, Delloreen Ennis-London, Brigitte Foster-Hylton, Sally Pearson, Dawn Harper-Nelson, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Kendra Harrison, and Danielle Williams.

The Commonwealth Games champion had earlier dominated her semifinal heat with a time of 12.36 seconds, visibly easing off in the final meters. Observers believe that had she replicated that explosive start in the final, she might have challenged or even surpassed her own world record of 12.12 seconds.

‘I was hoping to see Tobi repeat her semifinal performance in the final but she could not. That would either have been close to her world record or even surpass it,’ said Rotimi Obajimi, former technical sub-committee chairman of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria and former World Athletics course director.

Obajimi, who foresaw Amusan’s record-breaking run in Oregon two years ago after witnessing her victory at the Meeting de Paris Diamond League, remains confident in her continued dominance.

Amusan’s silver medal not only reaffirms her status as one of the world’s premier hurdlers.