BY AYODELE ODUMADE

OLUWATOBILOBA AMUSAN created history as she became the first Nigerian to win Gold at a World Championship. Amusan who has steadily improved all season, ran herself into form at just the right time. She smashed the World Record in the Semi final with a time of 12.12 seconds in a star studded field that included the former world record holder Kendra Harrison. Athletics Legend Michael Johnson appeared to doubt that the world record time was correct. However within less than 2 hours Amusan shut her critics up and backed up her world record with another stunning performance as she blizted the field, which included the Olympic Champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn. The clock stopped at 12.06 seconds, which was faster than her World Record but with a wind reading of 2.5, which was over the legal limit. Pundits were worried that Amusan might not be able to repeat the feat in the final due to the euphoria of setting a new World Record.

Amusan had previously suffered heartache at the Olympics last year and at the last World Championships in Doha in 2019, as she finished 4th in both competitions. However the potential has always been there and she constantly made improvements. In Eugene , Oregon in the 1st round she started by breaking the African Record with a time of 12.40. That was a prelude of what was to come.

Meanwhile the other likely medalist Ese Brume did not disappoint Nigerians as she won a Silver Medal in the Long Jump with a distance of 7.02 Metres. Brume who has always been consistent won Bronze at the last Olympics and World Championships.