A few days before the World Athletics Championships commenced, world record holder, Tobi Amusan was in the news controversially. She went viral excoriating the Athletics Federation of Nigeria (AFN) over what she called poor kitting, even going further to accuse the federation of pushing athletes to switch allegiance to other countries due to poor treatment being meted to them.
It was a foregone conclusion that Amusan was Nigeria’s best medal prospect at the championships. Not surprisingly, the AFN and the National Sports Commission moved swiftly to douse the tension that arose from the star athlete’s viral video.
Amusan soon settled into business, cruising in the 100m hurdles heat races onward the final where she won silver for Nigeria, although she had targeted the gold. But behind the silver laid the enduring of a turbulent stretch that coursed through Paris 2024 Olympic Games disappointment.
After clocking 12.29 seconds in the 100m hurdles event in Tokyo, she journalists emphatically: “I will take the silver. The journey has been rough, and I have lost more than I won. I am thankful that I have a great support system that comprises my coach, my family, my mentors, my loved ones, and my fans. This silver is for all of them.”
The 28-year-old hurdler has her new coach, the renowned Jamaican Glen Mills, who successfully lifted her out of the Paris deflation to thank for her recovery.
“Glen is an amazing coach who trusts and believes in me, and he had had a great combination with my coach, Lucina.”
Amusan’s scathing criticism of the AFN ultimately paled into insignificance as the World Championships’ silver medal dangled on her neck. Hear her: “Let’s savour this moment. It’s all about this medal right now. I come out here, and I do what I have to do for myself and my country.”
She may have missed out gold in the latest Tokyo race, losing to Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji, who stormed to a new national record of 12.24s. But she did not lose the windfall, walking away with a combined $55,000 (or N82.5m) in prize money and kit bonuses.
World Athletics confirmed before the start of the Tokyo event that the total prize money on offer stood at $8,498,000, with significant allocations across all individual and relay events.
For individual athletes, the prize structure showed that $70,000 is for gold, $35,000 for silver, $22,000 for bronze, $16,000 for fourth, $11,000 for fifth, $7000 for sixth, $6000 for seventh and $5000 for eighth. Placing second guaranteed Amusan $35,000 (or N52,549,191.45).
In addition, Hiracer, Nigeria’s official kit supplier for Tokyo 2025, pledged podium bonuses to athletes before the championships began, making Amusan to also rake in the sponsor’s silver bonus of $20,000 (or N30,028,109.40) and further cementing her status among the world’s elite hurdlers.
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