Amusan returns for 100m hurdles semis

World record holder in the 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, will be back on the tracks at the Stade de France on Friday (today) for the semi-finals of the event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, The PUNCH reports.

Amusan cruised into the semi-finals on Wednesday, running a time of 12.49s to beat USA’s Alaysha Johnson, who was second in 12.61s and Janeek Brown third in 12.84s.

The Nigerian will line up against reigning world champion Danielle Williams, USA’s Grace Stark, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas as well as four others in the first of three semi-finals.

The first two in each race will automatically qualify for Saturday’s final, while the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers will also join them.

The 27-year-old produced the second-fastest time in the heats, behind Olympic champion and Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who ran 12.42s.

Amusan was in high spirits after perfectly exciting her first-round race.

“The first time I came as an Olympian, I was like 18/19; the second time, I think I was a little bit experienced, and I didn’t get on the podium. This time I think, it’s my season,” said Amusan, who has now qualified for three consecutive semifinals at the Olympics.

The world record carries the weight of Nigeria’s medal hopes on her shoulder after near misses in some track events and wrestling.

She has been in great form in the run-up to the sports fiesta, running a season’s best and then world lead of 12.40s (0.9) at the Jamaican Athletics Invitational in Kingston in May.

Before then, she had set the African 60m hurdles indoor record twice in January and February.

In March, she won her third consecutive African Games title in Ghana, plus anchoring the women’s 4x100m to gold in Accra as well as the African Championships in Cameroon three months later.

Amusan, a three-time (consecutive) Diamond League winner, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, two-time African champion, and three-time African Games gold medallist, has participated in two Olympic Games (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020).