Jamaica is Home - Tobi Amusan praises legendary Glen Mills 'transformative' impact since coaching switch

Eight months after her surprising coaching switch to join the legendary Glen Mills in Jamaica, world record holder Tobi Amusan says she feels very much at home in Kingston.

In September 2024, the Nigerian hurdling queen following the disappointment of not making the Paris Olympics women's 100mH final, made the shocking career decision to leave her long-term coach, Lacena Golding-Clarke who trained her to a historic world title and record of 12.12s, and join the legendary coach Glen Mills.

Her switch was met with mixed reactions in Nigeria and from several track enthusiasts, which Amusan has now given her side of the story on what led to her decision and how joining coach Glen Mills at Racers Track Club has been ‘transformative, both physically and mentally.’

"It (Kingston) feels like home. Everyone there has been so welcoming. Great training group, great coaches—everything has just clicked. I’m really happy to be where I feel I belong,’ said the three-time Diamond League champion in an interview with Making of Champions.

The 28-year-old also shed insight on how she overcame the disappointment of the Paris Olympics mentally with the help of the right support group around her.

‘Paris was tough—I was in a dark place. But with the help of my family, mentors, and the environment I’ve found here, I’ve been able to get back to training and slowly rebuild into being Tobi again,’ she said.

When asked what the plan for the 2025 season is, Amusan revealed that the plan is to focus on refining her speed and execution, and competing in open sprint events is part of her buildup.

"Honestly, I'm going to be transparent. I think I'm doing more of sprinting than hurdling, and that's really showing in my hurdles because I've done two hurdle races so far.

"I love sprinting. But I mean, hurdling is my thing, and I feel like I can combine both. Hence, it's why I'm at the training group where I am right now."

Amusan's last race was at the Adidas Atlanta City Games, where she ran a wind-assisted 12.53s to finish second in her heat. Earlier in the season, she finished fourth in Xiamen (12.74s) and Kepaio (12.66s) in the opening two legs of the Diamond League meetings.