Tobi Amusan said she carried “the weight of Nigeria” as she raced to silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the World Championships in Tokyo.
The world record holder admitted memories of her fourth-place finish at the 2021 Olympics in the same city had haunted her.
“The moment I heard the World Championship was going to be held here, I had a PTSD,” she said. “I told myself I’m not leaving here without the gold medal. I don’t know but I’ll take the silver.”
Amusan clocked 12.29s in a fiercely contested final, later confessing she leaned on her faith.
“It’s not of the swift, but of God to show mercy. I worked really hard and I deserved this. I’m just thankful I didn’t leave here with no medal again this year.”
Despite recent struggles, she credited her support system for keeping her going. “I’ve taken more losses than wins, but I have my coach, my family, my fans. This is for them.”
The 28-year-old also debuted a shaved look this season, laughing it off as a matter of convenience.
“I train Monday through Saturday. On my rest day, do you think I’ll sit at the salon? I just chopped it off. No stress, no drama.”
Her silver adds to Nigeria’s tally, becoming the nation’s 12th World Championship medal.
