By Uzor Odigbo
The World 100m hurdles champion and record holder (12:12), Tobi Amusan, won her Thursday’s final of the event after coming from the rear to snatch a final ticket in 12.56secs.
The 26 year old will now get the chance to make history as the first Nigerian to successfully defend all the titles she has won in her career.
She successfully defended her African Games title in 2019 and followed it up in 2022 with another successful defence of the 100m hurdles title she first won in Asaba, Delta state in 2018.
The Nigerian also defended her Nigerian championships title first in 2022 and last month in Benin City where she made it a hat-trick of wins.
Also last year, Amusan ran 12.30 seconds Games record to defend the Commonwealth Games title she first won in 2018 before ending the year with another successful defence of her Diamond League title, running a 12.29 meeting record at the Weltklasse in Zurich, Switzerland.
Amusan’s participation at these championships was covered in a haze of cloud following her charge for Whereabouts Failures by Athletics Integrity Unit, AIU, but the Nigerian was cleared to run on the eve of the competition and could console herself with the retention of her title.
To do that however, Amusan will have to ensure she gets a good start, better than she got at the semifinal where she had to come from behind to win against athletes she should ordinarily stroll over to the finish line.
At this stage last year she stormed to a 12.12 world record to make history as the first Nigerian, man or woman to set a world outdoor title.
In the final, propelled by a tail wind, she ran 12.06 to make further history as the first Nigerian to win a world outdoor title.
Amusan will face familiar foes in the final and they include reignig Olympic champion and third fastest this year at 12.31, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and former world record holder, Kendra Harisson who ran a 12.24 world lead and 12.33 in the semifinals, the fastest qualifying time.
Former world champions, Nia Ali (2019) and Williams Danielle (2015) are also in the mix for what promises to be a great final on Thursday night at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest.