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| Tobi Amusan reacts after failing to reach 100m Hurdles final at the Paris Olympics in France. |
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, the current world record holder in the 100-meter hurdles, unfortunately did not qualify for the finals at the Paris Olympics.
Amusan finished third in the first semi-final with a time of
12.55 seconds. She had to wait for the results of the other two semi-finals to
determine if her time would be sufficient to advance.
However, her hopes were dashed in the third semi-final when
two athletes, Ackera Nugent from Jamaica and Cyrena Samba-Mayela from France,
achieved better times.
Nugent finished third in the third semi-final with a time of
12.44 seconds, while Samba-Mayela finished fourth with a time of 12.52 seconds.
Both athletes achieved faster times and secured the
qualifying positions, eliminating Amusan’s opportunity to secure a podium
finish in her third Olympic appearance.
Amusan gained global recognition when she set a new record
in the women’s 100-meter hurdles at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene,
Oregon, United States. She achieved a time of 12.12 seconds, surpassing the
previous record of 12.20 seconds set by American Kendra Harrison in 2016. This
accomplishment made her the first Nigerian world record holder in an athletics
event.
Given her performance, there is a possibility that Nigeria
may not win a medal at the games, which conclude on Sunday.