Tobi Amusan has become 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.
The 24-year-old clocked 12.42 seconds on Thursday to crash Gloria Alozie’s 23-year-old national record and become Africa’s fastest hurdler in women’s category.
She overcame the disappointment of finishing fourth in the Tokyo Olympics to end the year on a high.
Amusan was drawn in lane three and expertly took advantage of the absence of Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, the reigning Olympics champion, and USA’s Kendra Harrisson, the world record holder, to grab the diamond trophy in Weltklasse, Zurich.
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She was quick off the block and synced the race’s rhythm from the first hurdle, maintaining control till the finish line to edge Netherland’s Nadine Visser, who dipped 12.51 seconds and Jamaica’s Megan Tapper with 12.55.
The victory means the African champion will go home with $30,000 in prize money as well as a wild card for next year’s World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA.
Photo Credit: @WorldAthlectics
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