Tobi Amusan, the Nigerian 100m hurdles champion and record holder, is set to begin her title defence at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest later tonight (Tuesday).
Amusan, who is also the reigning African and Commonwealth Games champion, made history in 2022 when she won the gold medal at the World Championships in Oregon, becoming the first African woman to win the event.
She will be competing in Heat 5 where she is widely expected to progress into the semi-final
A bumpy road to Budapest
The road to Budapest has been a thorny one for Amusan who has had to battle with injuries and more profoundly against a provisional ban slammed on her by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU)
Amusan was only recently cleared to compete at the championships after being provisionally suspended by the (AIU) for missing three out-of-competition drug tests.
However, Amusan was able to argue her case and clear her name she maintains her stand as a clean athlete.
Stiff competition
Despite the challenges, Amusan remains positive she can defend her title in Budapest and many of her fans believes she can do it again in Budapest.
Predictably, ranked number one in the world in the 100m hurdles event, Amusan was already hitting good form in recent competitions before she was unceremoniously provisionally suspended.
It is widely expected that Amusan will face stiff competition in Budapest, especially from her fierce rival Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico who won every race she competed against the Nigerian in the buildup to this World Championships.
Kendra Harrison and Nia Ali of the United States are also some of the other strong contenders that would be seeking to dethrone Amusan.
The 100m hurdles final will be held on Thursday, 24 August.
In addition to the 100m hurdles, Amusan is also scheduled to compete in the 4x100m relay.
Having made it to the final in Oregon but finishing fourth, the Nigerian team will be pushing hard for a medal this time in Budapest with some added boost from Amusan.
The past days have been tough for Team Nigeria in Budapest with the country’s athletes all falling by the wayside in their quest for podium finishes.
The last failed attempt was from Ese Brume who narrowly finished fourth in the Women’s Long Jump event on Sunday.
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