With just a few hours to the kick-off of the championships, Amusan stated her concerns over what she called unprofessionalism and a lack of coordination within the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.

According to a video shared on her social media, Amusan said, unlike other countries that provide their contingents with kits in suitcases, the Nigerian government hands them their own kits in nylon bags with little or nothing significant in them.

She complained about the quality of the competition gear and highlighted that despite officials collecting shoe sizes, no shoes were included in the kit bags.

However, the AFN dismissed Amusan’s claims that athletes were handed poor-quality kits for the championships, insisting that the hurdler was given the full kits, as her teammates and even she received special treatment in travel arrangements.

In an interview with newsmen, AFN President, Tonobok Okowa, rejected Amusan’s allegations, stating that the federation had provided the full complement of kits in line with the arrangement with Hiracer, a global sportswear company sponsoring athletes from 20 countries at the Tokyo championships.

Read Also: JUST IN: Tobi Amusan qualifies for 100m hurdles semis in 2024 Olympics

“Probably she has an issue with the packaging, the quantity, yes. But the Athletics Federation of Nigeria has already explained that they are providing the kits in bits and pieces, so it shouldn’t really be an issue,” he stated.

He added that the procurement arrangement with HiRacer included bonuses and incentives for athletes who excel in their events.

Source: Punch

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Amusan led the pack of eight athletes with 12.49 seconds, followed by America’s Alaysha Johnson with 12.61 and Jamaica’s Janeek Brown qualified with 12.84 seconds.

Amusan is certainly among the favourites for the gold medal, but that won’t come easy, contending with a strong field that includes the Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton, USA’s Alaysha Johnson, world champion Danielle Williams and reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico.

The semi-finals will hold on Friday, August 9, while the final is slated for the penultimate day of the athletics event, Saturday, August 10.

The 27-year-old has been in great form in the run-up to the sports fiesta, running a season’s best and then world lead of 12.40s (0.9) at the Jamaican Athletics Invitational in Kingston in May.

Before then, she had set the indoor record for the African 60m hurdles twice in January and February.

In March, she won her third consecutive African Games title in Ghana, plus anchoring the women’s 4x100m to gold in Accra as well as the African Championships in Cameroon three months later.

This season, she has competed in 17 events, which include the 60m, 100m, 100m hurdles, and the 4x100m relay.

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This marks a strong showing for Onwuzurike as he heads into the Nigerian Olympic trials next weekend in Benin City, Edo State.

However, the men’s race also saw a surprising turn of events. The 2022 world champion, Fred Kerley, opted not to compete after experiencing issues with his starting blocks.

Kerley explained that officials were unable to provide him with replacements after one of the pads malfunctioned. He prioritised avoiding injury with the US Olympic trials approaching later in June.

In the women’s 100m, Ofili crossed the finish line first in 11.18 seconds, followed by veteran sprinter Morolake Akinosun (11.20 seconds) and American Aleia Hobbs (11.21 seconds).

While Ofili secured the win, her sights are still set on achieving the Olympic qualifying standard of 11.07 seconds before the window closes. 

Despite needing a faster time in the 100m, Ofili has already secured her spot in the 200m.

She holds the African record in the 150m and ran a qualifying time of 22.33 seconds in the 200m back in April.

Both Ofili and Onwuzurike are expected to compete at the All-Nigeria national trials next weekend in Benin City, Edo State.

While not quite perfect, Tobi Amusan displayed her resilience in the women’s 100m hurdles, recovering from a shaky start to finish third in 12.66 seconds (-1.9 wind).

Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas took the win in 12.56 seconds, with American Alaysha Johnson placing second in 12.58 seconds.

Noah Lyles, the reigning world champion in both the 100m and 200m, dominated the men’s 200m despite windy conditions at Icahn Stadium, clocking a time of 19.77 seconds.

Joseph Fahnbulleh and Lyles’ brother Josephus finished second and third, respectively, in 20.15 seconds and 20.51 seconds.

The meet also saw Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone cruise to a world-leading time of 48.75 seconds in the women’s 400m.

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