Reigning Nigeria, Africa and Diamond League 100m hurdles champion Tobi Amusan opened her 2022 season with a big bang on Saturday.
The petite, 24 year old who skipped the indoor season ran a wind-aided 12.58s (+2.6m/s) to win the sprint hurdles at the Masked Rider Open in Lubbock, Texas, USA ahead of Texas Tech’s Demisha Roswell (12.66s) and Oral Roberts University’s Gabrielle Gibson (13.32s).
The second Nigerian in the race, New Mexico Junior College athlete Ese Awusa ran 14.04s to place ninth.
Amusan, who was denied a world lead in the 100m hurdles by a trailing wind was also denied a new, massive personal best in the 100m flat as her 11.11s effort was aided by another 2.6 m/s wind.
Home girl Rosemary Chukwuma did not start albeit she was listed to run.
In the women’s 200m, Ese Awusa ran a new 23.75s personal best to place third while Knowledge Omovoh of Texas Tech University finished 10th in the final classification with her 24.28s run.
Onaara Obamuwagun of Texas Tech University was second in the women’s triple (13.34m) behind Anne-Suzanna Fosther-Katta who hopped, stepped and jumped 13.93m.
The 23 year old Nigerian’s mark was just a centimetre off her 13.35m personal best which she set last May at the Texan Track & Field Complex, Levelland, Texas.
At the Battle On The Bayou event held at the Bernie Moore Track Stadium in Baton Rouge, the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana, Favour Ofili ran an 11.11s lifetime best over the 100m to place second behind Aleia Hobbs (11.06s).
The time is the fastest by a Nigerian and second fastest by an African woman so far this year. It ranks the 19 year old the fourth fastest in the NCAA this year and joint 11th fastest in the Nigerian all-tme list with Tina Iheagwan and Joan Uduak Ekah.
It also makes Ofili the second Nigerian sprinter after Nzubechi Grace Nwokocha to qualify via the entry standard for the World Athletics Championships which holds this July in Oregon, USA.
