Tobi Amusan and her journey to becoming a 100 meters hurdles world champion and record holder at the World Athletics Championships is filled with bummers and her never dying spirit. She hails from a humble background in Ogun State, Southwest Nigeria, and her determination and hunger to be the best in what she is good at saw her achieve her dream and make her country proud.
In addition to the gold medal at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, she was a champion at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and a 2-time African Games gold medalist, including a Diamond League Trophy in 2021.
Early Life And Family Background of Tobi Amusan
Tobi Amusan was born Oluwatobilola Ayomide Amusan to the family of Mr. & Mrs. Kehinde Amusan on 23rd April 1997 in Ijbu Ode, Ode, Ogun State. As regards her age, she is currently 28 years old. Racially, she belongs to the Yoruba ethnic group of Southwest Nigeria.
She was born and raised in a humble background as the last of her parents’ three children. Her parents are teachers and also former athletes. Amusan’s father played volleyball for Ogun State in the past, while her mother was a sprinter in her tertiary school days, but lack of support and injury saw each of them relinquishing it. Based on this, it is safe to say, the World Athletics Championship gold medalist inherited her parents’ sporty genes.
Educationally wise, she schooled in Nigeria and the United States. She had her secondary school education at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State. In 2016, she attended the University of Texas at El Paso on a scholarship to study health services/allied health/health sciences and graduated with a bachelor of science (BS) in 2019.
Here Are 12 Unavailable Facts You Don’t Know About Tobi Amusan
1. She Played Football In Secondary School
Amusan seems to have picked an interest in sports from a very young age, which comes from the family she was born into. Although she is a track and field athlete now, she initially started playing soccer at the Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School in Ijebu-Ode. While playing, it was discovered that she runs faster and that makes her go everywhere on the pitch.
So, her coach advised her to switch to the track team. She took the advice and thus became the fastest girl on the team. As a result of her performance, she was accepted into the school’s relay team. From there, she found her feet.
2. Her Father Was Initially Against Her Athletics Career
The Nigerian athlete was raised in a family that laid more emphasis on school and education. And secondly, as a girl, her family feared the tendency to go awry is huge. Her father prefers her to focus more on her education than anything else, so he wasn’t in support of her running. But her mother believed in her and saw what Amusan didn’t see in herself.
Therefore, her mother would often cover for her whenever she is out of town for a competition or going to practice. Whenever this happens, her mother tells her father that she has gone to church or a school debate.
Unfortunately, her father got to find out she was running and burned her training gear. He gave a stern warning to her mother to be the last time he would see her in a stadium.
Amusa did say her mother remains her pillar of support, unlike her father who feels life is not about running.
3. Amusan Gained National Attention After Winning A Silver Medal Before Her 16th Birthday
Tobi’s first outing was at the first edition of the 2013 African Youth Championships in Warri, Delta State. The competition which was held for three days from 28-31 March saw her winning her first ever medal, a silver a month before her 16th birthday. It was her exploits here that caught the attention of her country to her rare kind of talent.
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4. The 28 Year Old Was Disqualified For Lane Infringement At The Under-18 Championship in Ukraine
After her silver medal at the African Youth Championships, she went to represent Nigeria at the Under-18 World Athletics Championships in Donestk, Ukraine. She made it to the 200m semi-finals but was unable to go beyond following a disqualification for a lane infringement. She felt disappointed not to have reached the final, but she and the Nigerian team were hosted by then President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Meeting the President may have served as a necessary boost for her to take her career seriously. This is because she thought if she keeps competing in track, she would get to meet the President all the time.
5. She Won Her First 2-Gold Medals At Continental Level In 2015
Two years after winning silver at the African Youth Championship, she clinched two gold medals in 100 meters hurdles. The first came at the 2015 African Junior Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and the second at All-African Games in Congo-Brazzaville.
She achieved these feats despite the pessimism that comes from home. She revealed in an interview that the typical Nigerian mentality dampens the spirit, making you feel like you cannot make it. She stated further that no one expected she would get a medal at those competitions, but she used that as a push to win.
These wins changed not just her mentality but her life and career.
6. She Had Her First Olympic Experience At 19
A lot of things happen to Amusan at 19. First, she got a scholarship to the University of Texas at El Paso and also represented Nigeria at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Similarly, she joined the school’s athletics team and went on to win several accolades including two golds, and silver in 100 meters hurdles, 200 meters, and the C-USA Championships, respectively.
While at the Rio Olympics, she reached the semi-finals of the 100 meters hurdles, despite being a first-timer. After the Olympics, she sat down with her coach and drew out a plan of what she wanted to achieve in 2017. She told her coach that she wants to go undefeated in 2017.
By the end of 2017, the world champion marked everything on her bucket list. She won every event she competed in, from 100 meters. 200 meter to 100 meters hurdles. Moreover, she stamped her name as unbeaten in the 100 meters hurdles and went on to win the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships with a record of 12.57 seconds.
In the subsequent years that follow, she represents Nigeria at the Commonwealth Games and the Tokyo Olympics, each with its taste of victory and disappointment. Amusan won gold and silver medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia in the 100 meters hurdles and 4×100 meters relay, respectively.
Additionally, she clinched two gold medals at the 21st edition of the African Championships in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria in 100 meters hurdles and 4X100 relay. However, she didn’t have a good outing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as she finished in 4th place.
7. Amusan Was The First Nigerian To Win The Diamond League Trophy
2022 is the best of the best for the Nigerian track and field athlete, but a prelude to it began in September 2021 when she clinched the Diamond League Trophy in Zurich. She became the first Nigerian to do so after finishing with a time of 12.42 seconds. The win saw her going home with $30,000 (12.3 million naira as of 2021) prize money and qualification to the 2022 World Athletic Championships in Oregon, USA.
8. Ijebu-Ode Native Is The 3rd Nigerian To Defend Her African Championship Title
Tobi Amusan is the 3rd Nigerian to successfully defend her title at the 2022 African Championship in Mauritius after winning it for the first time in 2018 in Asaba. She did this by winning gold in the 100 meters hurdles with a time of 12.57 seconds and likewise in the 4X100 relay.
She is not the first Nigerian to achieve such a feat, as the likes of Maria Usifo (1984, 1985) and Glory Alozie (1996, 1998) have done it in the past. Going further, she is the 5th African to defend a sprint hurdles title.
9. At 25, She Became Nigeria’s First Ever World Champion And Record-Setter
Amusan’s dream came to pass on 25th July 2022 in Oregon, the USA at the World Athletics Championships when became the first Nigerian athlete to win gold and break a record previously held by Kendra Harrison in 2016. She won the title out of her sheer persistence, discipline, diligence, hard work, and never-give-up spirit.
She didn’t only win the gold but also set a new world record of 12.12 seconds against American Kendra Harrison’s 12.20 seconds. While Jamaica’s Britney Anderson and Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took silver and bronze.
The Nigerian went home with prize money of $100,000 (42.1 million naira, as of July 2022).
10. Former World Champion And Olympic Gold Medalist, Michael Johnson Criticized Her Record-Breaking 12.6 Seconds
Former American sprinter, 4-time Olympic, and 8-time world athletics gold medalist Michael Johnson criticized Amusan’s record. According to reports, he said the 100h times were incorrect, expressing shock over how the world previously held Kendra Harrison was broken by 08 seconds.
His criticism draws a lot of reactions from Nigerians and Africans who accused him of black-on-black racism. However, he defended his claims on Twitter saying it is his job as a pundit to comment.
11. What Is The Significance Of Her Name?
At birth, she was given the name, Oluwatobilola, which means “God is the greatest king.” She said despite how she was looked down upon, the name served as her motivation.
12. How Tall Is She?
Tobi Amusan stands at a height of 5 feet 1inch (1.56m), which means she is below the average height of women (5 feet 4 inches) in the world and the average height of Nigerian women (5 feet 2 inches). While many see her as that small athlete, she sees herself as someone whose height doesn’t deter her from achieving what she sets her mind to achieve.
On the other hand, her body weight is 57kg (126lbs).
At 25 Tobi Amusan has set achieved so much as an athlete, having won several golds at different athletics events. She sets the world ablaze when she broke Kendra Harrison’s 12.20 seconds to become the first Nigerian to win a world athletic championship. The way, she keeps getting better at every stage of her career, there is more to come for her in athletics.
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