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.
Manchester City Appoint Enzo Maresca as New Manager After Guardiola Era Ends
Manchester City have officially appointed Italian coach Enzo Maresca as their new manager, marking the beginning of a new chapter following the departure of long-serving boss Pep Guardiola.
The Premier League champions confirmed the appointment on Monday, announcing that Maresca has signed a three-year contract that will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2029.
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The 46-year-old returns to Manchester City for his third spell at the club after previously serving in coaching roles before managing Leicester City and Chelsea.
Reacting to his appointment, Maresca described the opportunity as a dream come true.
“Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me,” he said.
He praised the club’s structure and professionalism, saying City is “an incredibly well-run football club” where everything is “innovative, planned and purposeful.”
According to Maresca, such an environment provides the stability every manager needs to succeed.
“This will be my third spell here. I know this club, I know the demands and I know the expectations,” he added.
The Italian coach also expressed gratitude to the club’s hierarchy for trusting him with the role.
“The quality of the people who work here is what makes it so special, and I want to thank them for showing faith in my ability. I cannot wait to start coaching the players. I want us to win, play good football and enjoy the pressure of representing Manchester City.”
Maresca now faces the task of building on the remarkable success achieved under Guardiola as Manchester City prepare for a new era under his leadership.
The president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Yasser Al-Misehal, has resigned following the Green Falcons’ disappointing exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup at the group stage.
Saudi Arabia finished at the bottom of Group H with just two points after recording 1-1 and 0-0 draws against Uruguay and Cape Verde respectively, before suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat to Spain, ending their hopes of progressing to the knockout stage.
Announcing his decision in a statement posted on X on Sunday, Al-Misehal accepted full responsibility for the team’s poor performance and apologised to Saudi football supporters.
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“The failure of the national team to qualify for the next round of the World Cup is a result that falls short of all our ambitions, and I bear full responsibility for it. I offer my apologies to everyone who hoped to see our team in a better position,” he said.
He added that stepping aside was necessary to allow the federation begin a fresh chapter.
“A sense of responsibility requires giving the opportunity to open a new chapter, and I have decided not to continue until the end of my current term.”
Al-Misehal served as president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation for seven years and was instrumental in securing Saudi Arabia’s successful bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, a key part of the kingdom’s broader economic diversification agenda.
The resignation comes after a difficult period for Saudi football. Earlier this year, a string of poor performances in international friendly matches led to the dismissal of French coach Hervé Renard during his second spell in charge of the national team after replacing Italian manager Roberto Mancini.
Despite Saudi Arabia’s massive investment of nearly $2 billion in football over the past three years—including attracting global stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Karim Benzema to the Saudi Pro League—the national team failed to make an impact at the tournament.
The 2026 tournament marked Saudi Arabia’s third consecutive FIFA World Cup appearance, but their campaign ended with an early elimination.
Argentine footballer Lucas Trejo has been left devastated after his wife and two children were killed in the powerful earthquakes that rocked Venezuela, turning what was once a family home into a pile of rubble.
Trejo, who plays for Venezuelan second-division side Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira, was away at a training camp in Caracas when twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 struck the country on Wednesday evening.
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Upon learning of the disaster, the 38-year-old rushed back to his home in La Guaira, one of the regions hardest hit by the catastrophe.
Instead of reuniting with his family, he was met with scenes of complete destruction.
According to reports, Trejo spent three heartbreaking days searching through the debris for his wife, Yanina, and their two children, Aaron and Ainhoa. Rescue workers eventually recovered their bodies from the collapsed building.
In a heartfelt statement shared on Instagram, Club Sport Maritimo La Guaira expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy, describing the deaths of Trejo’s wife and children as an irreparable loss.
The club also extended its condolences to the footballer, pledging its support as he mourns one of the most painful moments of his life.
Trejo’s brother-in-law, Ricardo Ardiles, recalled the emotional scene in an interview with CNN, saying the footballer returned home only to find that nothing remained of the building where his family had lived.
The devastating earthquakes have left a trail of destruction across Venezuela.
Authorities say the death toll has climbed to nearly 1,500, while tens of thousands of people remain missing as emergency responders continue rescue and recovery operations.
The tragedy has sparked an outpouring of sympathy from football fans, fellow players and clubs around the world, many of whom have offered prayers and messages of support to Trejo during his time of immense grief.
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