• Monday, May 20, 2024
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Tobi Amusan sets new African hurdles record

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Nigerian hurdler and World 100m champion Tobi Amusan clocked 7.77 seconds in the women’s 60m hurdles at the Astana Indoor Meet, Kazakhstan to set an African women’s indoor record.

The 26-year-old hurdler added the African indoor record to her rich collection of track and field records after she broke Glory Alozie’s 7.82 seconds best at the opening leg of the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Saturday.

Amusan finished first in the event’s final ahead of Nia Ali (7.89 seconds)of the US and Ireland’s Sarah Lavin, who ran 7.91 seconds to finish third.

After Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton’s 7.75 seconds finish last week at the Corky Classics in Lubbock, Texa, Amusan is currently second on the world’s top list for the season.

The Ogun State-born athlete has now broken all three African records held by Alozie.

She first broke her predecessor’s African Games record of 12.74 set in 1999 when she ran 12.68 to win 10 years later (2019).

Amusan followed up by breaking Alozie’s 12.44 African record when she ran 12.42 seconds on her way to winning her first Diamond League title.

The Nigerian hurdler now owns the Nigeria, Nigerian Championships, African, African Games, African indoor, Commonwealth Games, World Championships, and world records.

Her performance was Nigeria’s opening race of the new athletics season following a touch 2023 season.

Amusan will also be hoping for her first-ever Olympic medal in Paris in June 2024.