One of Nigeria’s medal hopefuls at the ongoing Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Oluwatobiloba ‘Tobi’ Amusan, will in the early hours of Saturday, begin her journey towards winning her first Olympics medal when she competes in the heats of the women’s 100m hurdles.
Amusan will be running from lane 3 in Heat 3 of the first round for a place in the semifinals.
At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, Amusan lost out by a whisker in the hunt for a medal, finishing 4th. Now more experienced, she is primed for a first Olympics medal.
The 24-year-old has been improving on her performance and what would have been a new African record for her was struck off after the timer malfunctioned during the National Trials in Lagos just prior to the Olympics.
Amusan also ran a wind-assisted 12.43s at the start of June in Florida but that was accomplished on the back of an illegal +4.5 wind.
Currently ranked 4th in the world in her event with a personal and season best of 12.48s, a time she first clocked in Qatar in 2019 before matching it in May this year in Florida, Amusan will be hopeful of following in the footsteps of Glory Alozie, who won a silver medal at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.
She will be taking to the tracks by 3 AM Nigerian time and with her eyes firmly set on securing a spot on the podium.
