Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan continued her impeccable start to the indoor season as she brushed aside her competitors to win Heat 5 of the Women’s 60m Hurdles at the ongoing World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Amusan, who was pitted against Sally Pearson, the current World Champion in the Women’s 100m Hurdles and a more experienced runner, braved the odds to clinch victory in a time of 7.95s, thereby sealing her spot in the semi-finals of the event. Pearson just finished within a hair’s breath of Amusan as she placed 2nd in 7.96s, which is a Season’s Best (SB) for her.
The victory was also made impressive by the fact that Amusan’s time was the 4th fastest of all the qualifiers to the semis, just behind Kendra Harrison (7.77s), Isabelle Pedersen (7.93s) and Devynne Charlton (7.95s).
Another Nigerian athlete who made her way to the semis was Lindsay Lindley. Lindley, who had to contend with the World Record (WR) Holder over the 100m Hurdles, Kendra Harrison, placed 4th in Heat 4 of the women’s 60m Hurdles, clocking a time of 8.17s.
Also, Chidi Okezie, who is one of the two male athletes representing Nigeria at the Championships, clocked a time of 46.91s in one of the heats of the men’s 400m. However, the 2016 Durban Bronze medallist couldn’t make it through to the final as he placed 5th in a time of 48.53s in the semis.
It was a different tale for Nigeria’s reigning women’s 400m champion, Patience Okon-George. The quarter-miler who was listed as a part of Nigeria’s contingent to the games Did Not Start (DNS) her race, having been drawn in Heat 6.
