Oluwatobiloba Amusan has set a new African Record (AR) of 12.41 seconds (-0.4) in the women’s 100 meters hurdles at the Paris Diamond League 2022 on June 18, 2022.
It was a time that moved her up to third in the world in 2022, only behind World Leader Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (12.37 seconds) and Alaysha Johnson (12.40 seconds).
The Nigerian athlete was way ahead in her race, getting to the line a clear winner to shave off one-hundredth from her previous AR of 12.42 seconds, almost two-tenths faster than Devynne Charlton who was 2nd in 12.63 seconds (SB) and Cindy Sember 3rd in a time of 12.73 seconds.
Last year at the Zurich Diamond League, Amusan had something to cheer over near misses at the Tokyo Olympics and the 2019 World Championships in Doha, running a new AR of 12.42 seconds to cap off her season, a record she has been chasing for a long time.
Now with the 2022 season entering its business end, Tobi is hitting form at the right time and could be in a very top shape going into the World Championships in Oregon. This is the fastest Amusan has run just before a major championships, and for an athlete needing a boost to exorcise the demons of finishing 4th at two successive global championships, this is the perfect lift she needs.
Amusan has now run seven legal sub 12.5 seconds in the women’s 100 meters Hurdles, moving clear of Glory Alozie who did four sub 12.5 seconds in her time. Tobi is now gradually charting her own course, writing her name in the history books as a very great African athlete.
This is something she has toiled hard for, starting from Ijebu Ode (Ogun state) where she dutifully climbed the Athletics ladder, transiting through the University of Texas El Paso where she made a name for herself.
It has been a spectacular two weeks to cherish for Amusan: first she was in the rainy Reduit to compete at her second African senior championships, successfully retaining her title in the women’s 100 meters Hurdles, then she helped Nigeria to Gold in the women’s 4×100 meters relay. Travelling to Finland for the World Continental Tour Gold event, she secured two victories to close out with a 12.57 seconds win.
