'2022 was supposed to be my quit year' - Amusan gives an emotional breakdown on breaking the WR

Tobi Amusan's WR moment at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon

ATHLETICS '2022 was supposed to be my quit year' - Amusan gives an emotional breakdown on breaking the WR

Funmilayo Fameso 17:57 - 09.03.2023

In an emotional and motivational interview, Tobi Amusan opened up on what it felt like running the World Record in Oregon, and how she started her Masters because of the fear of heartbreak.

World Champion and Record holder Tobi Amusan, gave an emotional, motivational, and spiritual breakdown of how it felt to break the World Record (WR) last year.

In an interview with Justin Tuckey on his Podcast series Stuck in My Thoughts, Amusan explained what the moment was like breaking the WR.

https://youtu.be/gJMkZntqziM

"That was the moment of 'did I just do that?'. But yea, It was months, years, and a crazy amount of training and hard work that people saw in 12 seconds. Sweats, tears, heartbreaks, and on the verge of quitting literally every other year. You know seeing it unfold at that moment, with my coach in the stands was just ‘ma we did it’, you know it was just crazy,” Amusan said.

She also stated how 2022 was supposed to be her quit year if she had not won a medal at the World Championships in Oregon, which was what led to starting her Master's degree.

The moment Tobi Amusan was handed her $100,000 Cheque for running a new WR
Tobi Amusan became Nigeria's first athletics World Record holder in 2022

“It was a moment of God, can still do something even when you’re broken and you feel like it’s over, cos 2022 was supposed to be like my quit year.

“That year, I was like if something doesn’t go right. And I felt like It was what actually got me into doing my Masters because I was looking forward to what if the season doesn’t go right? In as much as we want to do great things, God approves whatever thing we want to do, but then it’s more of I’ve been putting in the work and showing up every year and it was just fourth, fourth, so I was just tired,” Amusan added.

“I mean if God doesn't want to show up I can as well do something with my energy. So it was just the moment of I want to quit and God just showed up miraculously, so it was a huge moment for myself, my coach, my family, and everyone who has supported me,” she concluded.

Tobi Amusan clocks WR twice in a day at the World Championships in Oregon
The moment Tobi Amusan ran a new WR

Amusan stunned herself, everyone watching at the stadium, and the whole world when she ran a blazing WR time of 12.12s to win her 100m Hurdles semifinal race in Oregon. She lowered this time to 12.06s in the final, becoming Nigeria’s first-ever world outdoor champion and world record holder in athletics.

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Two weeks after these historic achievements, the sprint hurdler successfully defended her Commonwealth title in Birmingham, running a Games Record of 12.30s and retaining her Diamond league title in a Meeting Record of 12.29s - first-time feats by a Nigerian athlete in history.

Tobi Amusan adds the Diamond league title to her list of numerous titles in 2022
Tobi Amusan is the 100mH Diamond League Champion

She is yet to make an appearance this season, but whenever she does, Amusan will be ready to prove that her 2022 accomplishments were no fluke.

Tobi Amusan begins 2023 season on a winning note

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