Nigeria’s participation at the 2022 World Athletics Championship in Oregon, USA was made special by the outstanding performance and the iconic showing of Tobi Amusan who did not only win the 100 metres hurdles event but also created a world record with a time of 12.12s in the semi finals. She blasted that record two hours later in a wind-aided time of 12.06s.
Amusan’s performance and another female athlete Ese Brume who picked up a silver medal in the long jump event at the championships redesigned Nigeria’s declining status among great athletics nations in the world.
Her story with Oregon started years back, when, as a junior athlete, she was billed for the World Junior Athletics Championships but could not travel because the American Consular office in Abuja delayed the issuance of her visa.
According to coach Solomon Aliyu, who was her coach then, “the rest of the team had travelled and her visa was still being processed. She had a visa interview on Friday and her event was on Monday. As of Friday, her visa was yet to be issued. I stayed back to wait for her because she could not travel alone as she was still a minor.
“When at the end of Friday the passport was still not out, I decided to leave for the USA to join the rest of the team. But before I left, I advised her not to worry, that there were going to be many more championships she would attend in future because she had a very bright future.” That was how Tobi missed her first trip to Oregon.
Incidentally, it was that same venue, where she was supposed to launch her athletics career as a junior international that the 25-year old chose to stun the athletics world and on a bigger stage.
