Tokyo 2020: Nigerian Athlete Cruises Into Semifinals of Women’s 100m Hurdles

Tokyo 2020: Nigerian Athlete Cruises Into Semifinals of Women’s 100m Hurdles

Babajide Orevba
updated at April 12, 2023 at 7:48 PM
  • Tokyo Olympic Games have seen Nigeria on the good, bad and ugly side as some members of the were banned from participating
  • However, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan put up a spectacular show to reach the semifinals of the women’s 100m hurdles
  • Amusan who is ranked number four in the world in the 100m hurdles, will have her semi-final by 04.45 am on Sunday

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Nigerian athlete Tobi Amusan has qualified for the semifinals of the women’s 100m hurdles at the ongoing 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

The 24-year-old who ran a time of 12.72 beat Jamaica’s Yanique Thompson, who came second in the early hours of Saturday.

Complete Sports are reporting that Amusan, who is ranked number four in the world in the 100m hurdles, will have her semi-final by 04.45 am on Sunday.

Tokyo 2020: Nigerian Athlete Cruises Into Semifinals of Women’s 100m Hurdles
Tokyo 2020: Tobi Amusan into of Women’s 100m Hurdles. Photo: Cameron Spencer
Source: Getty Images

At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Qatar, Amusan lost out by a whisker in the hunt for a medal, finishing 4th. Now more experienced, she is primed for a first Olympics medal.

Okagbare banned from Tokyo Olympics

Meanwhile, Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare’s Tokyo Games ended abruptly on Saturday morning after she was provisionally suspended following a positive test for human growth hormone.

The Athletics Integrity Unit said she tested positive in an out-of-competition test on July 19 and was informed of her suspension on Saturday. The statement said via Vanguard:

“The athlete was notified of the adverse analytical finding and of her provisional suspension this morning in Tokyo.”

Nigerian athletes protest in Tokyo

A number of Nigerian athletes have taken to the streets of Tokyo where the 2020 Olympics Games are underway over their disqualification from the event.

No fewer than ten Nigerians have been banned from competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games after the Athletes Integrity Unit (AIU) declared them ineligible for doping and non-anti-doping issues, Premium Times reports.

Out of the 18 athletes suspended from participating in the Games, Team Nigeria are the most affected.

The AIU explained that the respective national federations of countries are responsible for ensuring appropriate anti-doping measures are in place in their respective jurisdictions.

The protesting athletes carried placards with the inscription “Why should we suffer for someone else’s negligence”, “All we wanted to do was compete” and “We are not just alternates but potential medalists.”

Habibat Ogunbanwo eventually crashes out

Legit.ng earlier reported that Habibat Abiola Ogunbanwo got to the finish line first in the women's 100metres freestyle in the swimming event of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

It was her first appearance in an Olympic tournament as she recorded a time of 59.74sec to break the national record in Heat 1. The 17-year-old broke the longstanding record of Ngozi Monu who finished in the time of 1:00.50 back in 2007.

Ogunbanwo however failed to qualify into the semi-finals as her time was ranked 48th after all six Heat have been conducted.

Authors
Babajide Orevba photo
Babajide Orevba
Babajide Orevba is a CAF accredited Nigerian journalist and HOD of the Local Desk with over 10 years of experience in media landscape.He studied NCE Political Science/Social Studies, AOCOED.
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