Tobi Amusan’s appearance at the 2023 World Athletic Championships to be held from 19th-27th August in Budapest, Hungary, hangs in the balance following the public announcement by the World Athletics denying reports that she has been cleared of the charges against her.
The Ogun State-born sprinter was charged by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the agency in charge of doping in international track, after missing three drug tests in the span of 12 months, but news emerged over the weekend of her alleged clearance of the doping charge. The World Athletics has, however, clarified that her name was on the entry list for the competition released last week, but with the provision that participation would depend on the outcome of the charge against her by the AIU.
The track-star in response to the situation promised to prove her innocence and is reportedly still in training in preparation for the competition while awaiting the conclusion of the AIU. Her name was left out of the Athletic Federation of Nigeria’s list for the competition with the Federation stating that her name would be included if the charges are cleared.
The 26-year-old holds the women’s 100m hurdles record which she set by running 12.12 seconds at last year’s World Athletics Championship, where she ran at a strange time of 12.6 seconds in the finals minutes later to win the gold. The time wasn’t set as the new record though, because there was too strong a tailwind which could have compromised the timing. Amusan also won the gold medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a time of 12.30.
Tobi Amusan is Nigeria’s hope of winning a sure gold medal in the competition as she is in the form of her life, but with the present situation, the expectations of Nigerians, and the fate of Amusan, as regards the 2023 World Athletic Championship, remain to be seen.
Team Nigeria will be led by Commonwealth Games gold medalist in the women’s long jump, Ese Brume, as well as US-based sprinter Favor Ofili.
