Sports
TOBI AMUSAN: From Unknown to Unforgettable
… The story of 25-Year Old Nigerian Accidental Hurdler
By Paul Eso
After nine days 0f track and field events on the Hayward Field in Oregon, Nigeria was battling a drought of medals at the 2022 World Athletic Championship. Results were not going in tandem with the expectations and quality of talents of the Nigerian contingents. Several events completed, no podium finish and little excitement.
But everything changed when Tobi Amusan lined up for the semi-final of the women’s 100 meters hurdles on the final day of the tournament. With the wind to her spikes, she glided over all the 10 hurdles with swooshing ease to become the fastest female hurdler in the world.
At 12.12 seconds, she buried US Kandra Harrison’s record of six years ago. And that was only the beginning of a night that an Ijebu Ode-born girl would chisel her name in gold on the summit of world athletics history.
Barely two hours later, she returned to the tracks and, with her braids behind her like a cape, blitzed to the finish line at an even faster 12.06 seconds — it was wind-aided and ineligible for a world record — to become the first Nigerian to win a gold medal at the World Athletic Championship.
But Amusan probably did not fully digest the magnitude of the feats she had spurned on the night until the patriotic tunes of Nigeria’s national anthem blazoned during the medal presentation. The 25-year-old’s face was wet with tears as she sang “the labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain.”
Amusan suddenly realised she’s one of those “heroes” now.
Her name will be taught as a source of inspiration to millions of children. Her feat is an oasis for Nigerians inundated by the acridity of the country’s security challenges. Her reign as Nigeria’s “queen of the track” has begun.
Amusan’s ascendancy into athletics royalty had been foreseen years prior, with different coaches marvelling at her lightning-quick box of talent. However, it has been a rugged climb to the top rather than a quick dash for the fast legs of the Nigerian.
From Ijebu to El Paso
Amusan was born on April 23, 1997, in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State. She was born into a family with a sports background as her mother once played volleyball. Her track and field talent was discovered at the Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in her hometown.
She began considering the path of professional athletics when she represented Nigeria at the first edition of the African Youth Athletics Championship in 2013. At 16, she competed in the 200 meters sprint and won silver for the country.
Two years later, she was part of the contingent for the 2015 African Youth Athletics Championship and she won the gold medal with 14.26 seconds in the women’s 100 meters hurdles. It was a huge feat for the teenager but it would cost her a potential scholarship in the US.
“My school [University of Texas, El Paso] had been contacting me since 2014 before I went for the 2015 African Junior Championships. But there I ran above 14 seconds and they told me it wasn’t up to the standard for recruiting for the NCAAs Division 1 level,” she had said in one interview.
However, she funnelled her disappointment into a three-month training for the 2015 African Games in Brazzaville, Congo. She went into the competition ranked distant 10th. Amusan would then break the African U20 record twice as she ran 13.15 to win the gold medal in the women’s 100 meters hurdles. The school came calling again, this time with ferocity and desperation.
“You don’t even want to know about the phone calls [from UTEP]! They were killing me with calls! “Can you send this, can you send that?!” Amusan said.
Accidental Hurdler
Amusan’s sprint career did not start as a hurdler but fate and a blessing in disguise of disappointment sent her down that path.
Replaced as a member of the Nigerian 4x100m relay squad at the trials for the 2014 African Youth Games, a resilient Amusan enquired about other events she could participate in. The organisers suggested the 100 meters hurdles and with the top two automatically selected for a place in the Nigerian team for those games, Amusan figured she had nothing to lose.
“If it is run and jump, I thought I’ll do it. I had played around with hurdles in practice but I had never competed before,” she had said about the change.
She surprised herself and went on to earn silver at the African Youth Games in Botswana in only her second hurdles race.
From then onward, Amusan, like a butterfly reaching a full circulation of metamorphosis, soared above the hurdles and shatter records, and accrued medals.
In 2018, she became the first Nigerian female hurdler to win gold at the Commonwealth Games. She also won gold at the 2018 African Athletics Championship and 2019 All African Games.
The “Almost” Girl Despite her dominance and consistency, Amusan hit the wrong side of luck in major championships between 2019 to 2021.
READ ALSO: 2022 World Athletics: Amusan wins gold, makes history for Nigeria
At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, she finished fourth in the final of the women’s 100-meter hurdles with 12.49 seconds.
She also fell short in the final at the Tokyo Olympics when she dipped 12.60 seconds to place fourth in the race.
Amusan was apparently hurt after she was labelled the “almost girl” for all the near misses at the grand stages.
“I know a lot of people have tagged me the ‘almost’ girl. I’ve seen and heard a lot of comments,” she had said.
“It’s just sad knowing that I’m that girl that people tag ‘almost’ and that’s the main force that’s going to drive me next year. I don’t want to be the ‘almost’ girl. I want to be ‘that girl’, the girl that wins every competition.”
Faulty Timer
In 2021, at the Olympics trials of the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) at the Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, Amusan swooshed easily to the finish line in the women’s 100m hurdles — only to discover that the electronic timer at the stadium had failed to display the time at the end of the race, remaining at 0.00secs.
However, her hand timer recorded that she won the race by dipping 12.3 seconds, which would have erased Gloria Alozie African record of 12.44 seconds set in 1998.
Diamond League
Away from the disappointments of the months before, Amusan’s consistency and hard work paid off in September 2021.
She became the first Nigerian athlete ever to win a World Athletics Diamond League trophy as she placed first in the women’s 100 meters hurdles final.
Amusan clocked 12.42 seconds to break Alozie’s 23-year-old national record and become Africa’s fastest hurdler in the women’s category.
Setting and Breaking African Records
There was no stopping Amusan from there on as she continued to break and set a new African record thrice in a year.
On June 19, the Nigerian set a new African record in the women’s 100 meters hurdles as she dipped 12.41 seconds at the Diamond League meet in Paris.
On July 23, Amusan also set a new African record of 12.40 seconds when she won heat three in the women’s 100m hurdles.
She then reduced the time further in the semi-final to clinch the world record of 12.12 seconds
From sandy tracks of inter-house sports at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu-Ode to the bouncy arena in Hayward Field in Oregon, an accidental hurdler has gone on to become Nigeria’s first-ever world record holder in athletics.
Amusan has also immortalised her name in the history of track and field events.
Arsenal Football Club is facing a major transition as sporting director, Edu Gaspar is reportedly poised to leave his position amidst growing interest from a group of clubs owned by Evangelos Marinakis, including Nottingham Forest and Olympiacos.
Sources indicate that the Brazilian, who has been a key figure in reshaping Arsenal’s transfer strategy and overall identity since 2019, is expected to take on a significant new role within Marinakis’ expansive network.
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His departure could signal a substantial shift in Arsenal’s approach to player recruitment and team development.
Edu’s tenure has seen the club invest £867 million in player acquisitions, ranking Arsenal third in spending behind Chelsea and Manchester United.
Under his leadership, the Gunners secured the FA Cup and finished as runners-up in the Premier League during the last two seasons.
He played a pivotal role in the signings of high-profile players such as Martin Ødegaard and Declan Rice while managing the exits of notable figures including Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Özil.
According to reports, Edu’s decision to leave was self-initiated, with recent changes in senior roles at the club possibly influencing his choice.
As Arsenal prepares for a crucial Champions League match against AC Milan, manager Mikel Arteta is expected to address the situation in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Edu’s journey at Arsenal began when he returned to the club as technical director after a successful period with the Brazilian Football Confederation, where he celebrated a Copa America victory.
Promoted to the role of sporting director in 2022, he has emphasized a philosophy that prioritizes both winning and playing with style, stating, “Winning is not enough for Arsenal; style is paramount. I want to win the best way possible.”
The club now faces the challenge of finding a successor capable of sustaining the momentum and vision Edu has instilled.
Football transfer analyst Fabrizio Romano confirmed the impending transition, noting that Edu is a sought-after target for Marinakis’ multi-club operation.
Two second half goals in a-five-minute-period by former NPFL top-scorer, Godwin Obaje, ensured that reigning champions of the league, Rangers International bounced back to winning ways, beating Nasarawa United FC 2-0 in a match day 10, at Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Enugu on Sunday, November 3, 2024.
Smarting from a heartwarming 1-1 draw in Ilorin and 0-0 draw in Uyo in the last two match days, coach Fidelis Ilechukwu made three changes to the last match day starting squad, handing starts to goalkeeper, Kingdom Osayi and Godwin Obaje while captain of the side, Chinemerem Ugwueze also started in the very entertaining encounter watched by an appreciable number of fans.
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Opting for a 4-4-2 formation which was aimed at pushing the visitors back so as to contain the exploits of leading goal scorer, Anas Yusuf, with Frank Uwumiro and Godwin Obaje leading the attack with the quartet of Isaac Saviour, Kazeem Ogunleye, Chinemerem Ugwueze and Ejike Ugochukwu anchoring the middle of the pack while the back-four of Effimi Nsi, Evans Ogbonda, Austine Opara, and Ifeanyi Onyebuchi providing cover for the man between the sticks, Kingdom Osayi.
The first period witnessed a lot of missed opportunities on both ends but with more missed chances coming the way of the home side as Effimi Nsi failed to connect when set up by Isaac Saviour on 14 minutes which was followed by Frank Uwumiro’s stinging shot that was pushed out by goalkeeper, Galadima Mohammed on 16 minutes just as Godwin Obaje could not fathom how his efforts on 22 and 40 minutes failed to rest inside the net and Ejike Ugochukwu, Isaac Saviour’ efforts were bravely stopped by Galadima on 36 and 45 minutes.
When both sides returned for the second period, the home side continued to push and probing for openings which came on 55 minutes when Obaje met an Uwumiro cut-back with precision to open his goals account for the season and on 60 minutes, he grabbed his brace in the match as he expertly tucked in the spot kick awarded his side after he was wrestled down inside the box by Victor Collins as the fans yelled for more goals in celebrations.
Obaje would have made it a hat trick of goals on 67 minutes after being fed by Evans Ogbonda but his effort missed target by inches just few minutes after substitute, Silas Nenrot’s stinging shot was pushed out by an alert Galadima on 65 minutes while Nenrot’s effort that found the back of the net was ruled out for offside on 70 minutes. Opportunities also came the way of Kazeem Ogunleye and Godwin Obaje in the 71 and 73 minutes but there were no further goals to show for all the dominance.
As the game neared it closing period, coach Ilechukwu handed game time to two of his young stars, Daniel Onyia and Kelechi Edeh and they did not disappoint.
In the post-match chat, chief-coach of the Enugu side, Ekeh Ekenedilichukwu, said, “This was a great game with a good result against a quality side. They proved difficult in the first half but after some talks at the break, we got our acts together and converted two of the numerous chances that we created. We are happy with the result and would work harder to convert our chances in subsequent matches.”
Two-goals hero, Godwin Obaje, while reacting to the media after the encounter, said, “We are happy we got the win and I am really glad to have scored in my first start for the season. It goes a long way to show that we are gradually getting into the needed shape to challenge for a good season. Nasarawa United gave us a good fight but we showed more resolve to win.”
With the win, Rangers now occupy the 5th spot on the 20 team log with fifteen points from ten matches and would next play against Plateau United in a match day 11 fixture at the New Jos Stadium, Jos in the coming weekend.
It appears the Libyans are venting their frustration on the Nigerian community in reaction to the recent verdict of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over the botched African Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier involving the senior men’s football team of both countries.
Recall that the Super Eagles of Nigeria went through harrowing experiences in the hands of hosts, Libya when they travelled to the north African country to keep an October 16 date with their Libyan national team counterparts.
The near-death experiences, which hit the globe spontaneously, thanks to social media, received widespread condemnation culminating in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) withdrawing the Super Eagles from the game, reporting the matter to the CAF, who later awarded the game and three points the Nigerian national side, including a fine of $50,000.00 against Libya.
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Feeling undone, with the outcome of their gimmicks, the Libyan authorities are now seeking a pound of flesh from the Nigerian community in their country, in a manner that suggests that they have taken the football warfare from the field to the streets.
They appear focused on getting the Nigerians pay for sins of their home country in daring to seek justice from CAF through imposition of fines, new taxes, and stringent enforcement of resident/work permits, in a manner that suggest that CAF can impose a fine, but Nigerians would have to pay it.
Amidst the fines and new taxes, there’s already an outcry of mass arrest from the Nigerian community in Libya, according to the https://punchng.com/.
Recall that the Nigerian football contingent was held at the Al-Abraq Airport in eastern Libya for over 20 hours upon arrival for the second leg of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier between the Super Eagles and Libya’s national team.
They were scheduled to land at the Benghazi Airport and travel for nearly four hours by road to Benina, where the match would have been played.
However, less than an hour before landing, the Tunisian pilot reportedly received a directive from the Libyan authorities to divert the flight to the Al-Abraq Airport, located 150 miles away from the destination.
The attendant public outcry compelled the NFF to withdraw the Super Eagles from the qualifying match and file an official complaint against Libya at the CAF.
In its ruling on Saturday, October 26, signed by its Chairman, Ousmane Kane, the disciplinary committee of the African football governing body awarded the Super Eagles of Nigeria three points and three goals for the abandoned match.
In addition, the disciplinary board ruled that the Libyan Football Federation (LFF) breached Article 31 of the AFCON Regulations and Articles 82 and 151 of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
The panel also ordered the LFF to pay a fine of $50,000 within 60 days of the notification of the decision.
The LFF has expressed displeasure with the CAF’s verdict.
The LFF President Nasser Al-Suwai’I described it as “unjust and malicious,” alleging that the NFF’s influence within the CAF played a major role in the outcome.
A report on Monday by a Libyan outlet, Libyan Observer, quoted Al-Suwai’I saying the LFF would file an official appeal within hours and that if the appeal was denied, the body would resort to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to ensure “their legitimate rights are secured.”
Campaign against Nigerians
Following the CAF ruling, a popular Libyan news blog, Libya News Today 1, on Sunday, thus, “All Libyan TV channels are urging the government to arrest the Nigerian workers who are working here in Libya without legal papers. They have to pay $500 plus taxes.
“The fine that Libya is accused of will be paid by Nigerian citizens who live in Libya. We have been subjected to injustice. We have no borders with Nigeria. What benefit are they to us? They’re a burden on the Libyan people. They have to go back home.”
The blog has more than 188,000 followers on Facebook and 57,000 likes.
The post was accompanied by a video of a Libyan TV presenter, who said, “Anyone who is living in Libya and working without paying tax is eating haram, which means sinful money. The government should make every effort to arrest all Nigerians who are working in Libya so that they can pay a tax of $500 and regulate their stay in the country by obtaining residence permits.”
Another Libyan site, Libya INF.TV, reported that Libyan stations wanted the government to start arresting Nigerian workers.
“Those who don’t have Libyan papers will have to pay a fine of $500 for taxes. If you refuse deportation, no mercy. The Libyan government will pay the Nigerian government from their citizens’ money,” the post said.
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