Tag: Amusan

Tobi Amusan yesterday breezed into the semi-final of the women’s 100m hurdles after winning her  heat  five  at the ongoing Budapest 2023 World Athletics Championships in Hungary.

Amusan, the World Record holder and  defending champion,  was only cleared to compete at the championships  after  an initial  suspension by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for  allegedly missing three out of competition tests (OCT) this year.

Yesterday, the number one ranked  Nigerian  in the ,  placed first with a time of 12.48secs in the heat ahead of Jamaica’s Megan Tapper who ran 12.51secs to finish second while Australia’s Michelle Janneke came third with a time of 12.71secs to qualify automatically to the semi-final.

Read Also: Mac Allister red card overturned after appeal

Amusan ran the third fastest time of 12.48secs behind American Kendra Harrison and Bahamas Devynne Charlton who both ran 12.24secs and 12.44secs respectively in heat 3 of the women’s 100m hurdles.

Also listed in the semi-final line-up is 2019 World champion Nia Ali of USA who won heat 2 with 12.55secs, while Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn also made the cut for the semi-final after running 12.50secs to win heat 4.

The semi-final holds  today while the final takes place tomorrow.

Women’s  100m Hurdles World record holder, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan will be subject of intense  attention  today as she  begins her title  defence  the World Athletics Championships , Budapest 2023  in Hungary.

Amusan who set a world record  mark of  12.12 secs  in the semis  at the  2022 Championships  in Oregon en route  to   a stunning  wind  assisted 12.06. secs  in the final,  was only cleared  to compete in Budapest at the weekend  after being  suspended  initially by  the  Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for allegedly missing  three  anti-doping tests.

Read Also: Bayern should‘ve signed Osimhen not Kane, says Rohr

Altogether,  there are  44  hurdlers  in the fray  for the  women’s 100m hurdles  title in a strong field that  will include both  current US  champion  Nia Ali  who will be  eager to regain the title she won in 2019; as well as  Tokyo 2020  Olympic champions, Puerto Rico’s Camacho-Quinn.

The  34-year- old  Ali  on learning  at her press conference  yesterday that   Amusan will be defending her title, noted that the Nigerian was only one of several serious contenders.

“Good for her – I will see her at the starting line. I’m looking forward to some very fast racing, and there are more than just Tobi. The title could go to anybody in the final.”

Meanwhile, in the official start list released  by the World Athletics, Amusan  who will spot number 1159, is assigned to Heat 5 and will compete in a strong cast that include Dutch Maayke Tjin-A-Lim who has a personal  best and season best of 12.66 seconds.

There is also  Jamaican Megan Tapper who comes to the  fray with a personal best and season best of

12.44 seconds  as well as Australian  hurdler  and model Michelle Jenneke who has a  personal  best of  12.66  and season best of  12.69.

 The  remaining  quartet  are Japanese Yumi Tanaka (12.89 PB); Cypriot Natalia Christofi (12.84 PB); Liberian  Ebony Morrison (12.74 PB)  and Slovak  Nika Glojnarič (12.92 PB).

Meanwhile,  the first  four  of  each heat plus  four  fastest times  will qualify  for  Wednesday’s  semi-final.