Nigeria’s former hurdler, Moses Oyiki, has advised former world record holder Tobiloba Amusan to “retrace” her steps and reunite with her former coach, Lacena Golding-Clarke, for improved results at the 2027 World Athletics Championships in China and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

]Amusan won the World Championships gold and set a world record at Oregon in 2022 under Golding-Clarke, an ex-hurdler.  But she has since switched camp to another coach, Glen Mills, a former sprinter and ex-coach of Jamaica’s multiple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt.

Oyiki, a lawyer now based in the Republic of Ireland, told The Guardian in a phone chat that Amusan made the wrong decision by switching camp from a coach who had deep knowledge of hurdles to an ex-sprinter.

“For me, Amusan should go back to her former coach because, as an ex-hurdler, Golding-Clarke has a better advantage of knowing the techniques that fit an athlete.  The coach actually proved that at Oregon in 2022. I don’t know what transpired that led to their breakup, but as a former Nigerian hurdler, I feel Amusan will have better performances under Golding-Clarke.

“Again, the new coach is a sprinter and may have divided attention attending to sprinters from the USA, Jamaica and other countries. I am not saying that the new coach is not good, but I feel that Amusan will stand a better chance of correcting the problems of late take-off from the starters’ blocks if the former coach stepped in.”

Asked if time is still on Amusan’s side to win a gold medal at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, Oyiki said: “As a hurdler, age is not a problem for Amusan at the moment. There is still fire in her, and I feel she still has what it takes to win an Olympic gold in 2028. The major issue she needs to tackle is this late take-off from the block, which has seen her lose the world record and many medals to her American rivals.”