World Athletics Championships: How persistence, perseverance paved way for Oluwatobiloba Amusan
Elbert Hubbard once said “A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” This is the case of Oluwatobiloba Amusan, who on Sunday 25 July 2022 became the first Nigerian athlete in history to ever win women’s 100 metres hurdles gold at the world athletics championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Before the big feet Sunday, Amusan wrote on her Twitter page, in November 2016 that she might be unknown but soon the world will hear about her as she would persist until she succeeds.
The tweet read, “Unknown now, but soon I will be UNFORGETTABLE… I will Persist until I SUCCEED…”
Unknown now , but ? I will be UNFORGETTABLE … I will Persist untill I SUCCEED ….???
— Oluwatobiloba Amusan, OLY (@Evaglobal01) November 8, 2016
Indeed her persistence and perseverance in the athletic world have finally paved the way for success for her, seven (7) years after, as the world is currently celebrating her.
Who is Oluwatobiloba Amusan?
Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan is a Nigerian track and field athlete who specialises in the 100 metres hurdles and also competes as a sprinter. She won the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the 100 metres hurdles, setting a new world record of 12.12 seconds in the semifinal, then a wind-assisted 12.06 in the final.
She was born on 23 April 1997 (age 25) in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State Nigeria and her parents are speculated to be professional teachers; although, their identity is not fully known.
Amusan, World 100m hurdles record holder, in the early hours of Monday (Sunday in Oregon), won the women’s 100m hurdles gold at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Though, Nigeria had won a total of nine medals, comprising four silver and five bronze before Amusan Oluwatobiloba destroyed a strong field in the final by winning the 2022 World Athletics Championships in the 100 metres hurdles and she was highly celebrated for this great success.
She could not hold back her joy as she broke into tears during the medals ceremony.
Speaking after the event, Amusan said, “I believe in my abilities, but I was not expecting a world record at these championships.
???? Tears of joy for new world record holder Tobi Amusan as she collects Nigeria's first ever World Championship gold! What a moment! ? pic.twitter.com/0oAjQZLOJb
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_AUS) July 25, 2022
“It’s a dream come true. I knew I had it in me, but I could not believe it when I saw it on the screen after the semis. But it was just a matter of time.”
Amusan disclosed that she woke up with heavy legs on Sunday morning, but when she told her coach, he replied, “Your mind is just playing tricks on you. You are ready to go.”
Indeed, she was ready.
Amusan said, “I trusted my hard work. I trusted God was in control and just kept saying to myself, ‘breath’, it is just another competition. It’s a blessing coming out here to showcase our talent and we are a very big country and the few of us who God has given the talent, we come out here to glorify God.”
Career
The young athlete had her education at Our Lady of Apostles Secondary School, Ijebu-Ode before proceeding to the University of Texas at El Paso in the United States Of America (USA).
Amusan showed a lot of athletic potential from an early age. She was a silver medalist at the 2013 African Youth Championships in Warri, Delta State, Nigeria. She also claimed gold in the 100 metres hurdles at the 2015 African Junior Athletics Championships in Addis Ababa, also while making her All-Africa Games debut as an 18-year-old, she won the gold medal in the 100 metres hurdles.
In 2016, as a freshman at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Amusan became the second athlete for the university to be named C-USA Female Track Athlete of the Year since UTEP joined C-USA. She was the gold medalist in both the 100 mH and the 200m. She also claimed a silver in the long jump at the C-USA Championships.
Amusan first broke the 13 seconds barrier in the hurdles with a time of 12.83 seconds at the El Paso UTEP Invitational. This eclipsed Kim Turner’s 100 mH UTEP record which had stood for 33 years.
At the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Amusan claimed the title ahead of Camacho-Quinn who was the champion the previous year. She did this in a personal record time of 12.57 s.
In 2018, she was the Commonwealth and African champion and is also a two-time African Games champion in the event. She also claimed a gold medal in the 4 x 100 m relay at the championships.
At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, she ran a personal best of 12.48s during the 100 metre hurdles qualifying rounds. In the semi-finals the following day, she equalled this personal best before placing 4th a few hours later in the final with 12.49s.
Amusan won the Diamond League Trophy in Zurich in 2021 in the 100-metre hurdles.
She started her 2022 season by winning the 2022 Diamond League event in Paris, where she set an African record by 0.01s with a time of 12.41s.
Amusan also won gold in the 100m hurdles at the 2022 African Championships in Mauritius, defending her title successfully with a time of 12.57s. She also competed in the women’s 4×100m and won gold.
Later in 2022, she competed in a Diamond League meet, finishing second with a time of 12.60s, behind Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.
Why she wept after winning
According to findings by one George Olufemi Ogunjimi Esq., Amusan went to the competition by herself, with her own money. Represented Nigeria instead of the USA where she trains from.
Olufemi disclosed that Amusan wept to see herself winning a gold medal for a country that did not care or supported her and millions around the world cried along with her noticing neglect, injustice and brazen abuse of power from those that govern her.
“While some are killing the country, many youngsters are reviving and resuscitating it.
“Tobi Amusan’s life is the story of many youths striving hard to make a living, make a name and justify their existence in our country but bogged down, rendered hopeless through a bad system of governance where the university teachers will be on strike for many months because they are not paid for services they render to the society,” Olufemi wrote.
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