Adidas has celebrated Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusan who won gold in women’s 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championship recently held in Oregon, United States.
In the build-up to her eventual win at the final, Amusan, a native of Ijebu-Ode in Ogun State, also broke the record of 12.20 seconds set by USA’s Keni Harrison in 2016. The Nigerian set a new record of 12:12 seconds.
Adidas, the second largest sportswear manufacturer in the world, praised Amusan for her feat in an Instagram post on Tuesday, July 27.
“Breaking a world record is one thing, absolutely smashing it is another.
“Tobi Amusan came to the World Championships hoping to become the first Nigerian to ever win the 100m hurdle title. She left as the best to ever do it,” the company said.
Amusan and her compatriot Ese Brume are sponsored by Adidas and managed by Icon Management.
Born in Ughelli, Delta State Brume won silver medal at the championship with an impressive 7.02m leap.
Amusan, like many athletes, had a rough and discouraging start.
The 25-year-old told BBC Sports that she almost quit being an athlete when she didn’t make the women’s relay team at the 2013 African Youth Games in Warri.
She recalled that specialising in hurdles was by accident. According to her, some coaches advised her in her teenage years to switch to hurdles.
She said quote “The officials were always picking who they wanted in the relay team. Sometimes, they would say I didn’t have the experience, so they would pick whoever was their favorite.
“It was a lot of pressure on a young athlete. I considered quitting. I really wanted to travel with the senior national team and some coaches told me to try the hurdles.”
