Colin UdohSep 17, 2025, 08:37 AM
CloseItinerant writer. Engineer in a previous incarnation. One time Black Belt. Lover of football, flirter with other sports.
After enduring a turbulent stretch that has included Olympic disappointment, a shoe controversy, and a public clash with Nigeria’s track federation over athletes’ kits, Tobi Amusan said she was grateful to leave Tokyo with a silver medal, even though her target was gold.
“I’ll take the silver,” Amusan told Making of Champions after clocking 12.29 seconds in the 100m hurdles event.
“The journey has been rough. I’ve taken more Ls than wins, but I am thankful that I have a great support system — my coach, my family, my mentors, my loved ones, my fans. This is for everyone.”
The 28-year-old Nigerian came into the meet as the world record holder in the event from her 2022 performance, but still carrying memories of missing out on the Olympic final.
She admitted she had flashbacks of finishing fourth when she last competed in Tokyo four years ago: “The moment I heard that the World Championship was going to be held here, I had PTSD.
“But then I had to snap out of it and told myself I was not leaving here without a medal.”
Amusan credited her recent progress to the addition of renowned Jamaican coach Glen Mills, who she began training with this year in the wake of the disappointment of the Paris Olympics.
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“The first two months I almost quit. It was really tough, but look at it, the hard work has paid off and I am really thankful,” she said.
“He’s an amazing coach. He trusted me, he believed in me, alongside with my coach Lucina. They work hand in hand and this is for them.”
But hard work was not all the Nigerian needed to overcome. Her path to the podium was further hobbled by controversy off the track. Just days before the competition, Amusan sharply criticized the Athletics Federation of Nigeria for handing out kits in plastic bags and failing to provide adequate gear, even noting that athletes did not receive shoes despite having submitted sizes.
“This country will steadily embarrass you,” she said in a social media video that went viral among Nigerian fans days before the start of the competition, and even suggesting that such lapses was the reason an athlete like Favour Ofili was changing nationality from Nigeria.
“And you say people should not switch allegiance? You people are not ready,” she added.
“All the other countries, they gave their athletes suitcases. See what Nigeria used to pack kits for athletes. Every year, that’s how we collect it. Inside one small nylon bag.”
AFN President Tonobok Okowa rejected Amusan’s allegations, saying that the federation had provided the full complement of kits in line with the arrangement with HiRacer Running, a global sportswear company sponsoring athletes from 20 countries at the Tokyo championships.
“There is nothing wrong with those kits,” Okowa told The Punch. “Tobi Amusan only brought out one pack out of the pack that she was given. The items came in batches, so they were told that the following day they would receive the rest of the kits. She just brought out only that one kit and displayed it to the world.”
When pressed about the issue after her race, Amusan declined to revisit the matter. “Let’s savour this moment. It’s all about this medal right now,” she said.
And despite her seeming tongue in cheek remarks about switching allegiance, the hurdler said she was proud to compete for her country and carry the weight of expectation of almost always being Nigeria’s medal hope
She added: “This is bigger than me. Whenever I come out here, it’s Tobi Amusan first and then Nigeria. I come out here and I do what I have to do for myself and my country and I am just glad that every time I come out to a championship, win or lose, I still show up and I am thankful for that.”
AloJapan.com