August 11, (THEWILL) – Reigning world 100 metres hurdles champion, Oluwatobiloba Amusan, has been given the go-ahead to defend her title at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, this month.
The Nigerian, who set a new world record of 12.12s at the World Championships last year, was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) in July for three whereabouts failures. However, World Athletics confirmed that the 26-year-old has been included in Nigeria’s team for Budapest, pending the outcome of her appeal against the AIU charges. According to World Athletics rules, if Amusan successfully appeals her provisional suspension before the start of the championships on August 19, she will be allowed to compete.
Amusan, nicknamed “Pocket Rocket,” will be eager to defend the world title she won so emphatically in Eugene last year. The World Championships is the only major competition where she has not yet successfully defended her title, after winning consecutive golds at the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, African Championships and Diamond League.
Also included in Nigeria’s team is 400m sprinter Imaobong Nse Uko, who will be making her debut at the World Championships. Other Nigerian athletes set to compete in Budapest include Rosemary Chukwuma (100m), Favour Ofili (200m) and long jumpers Ese Brume and Ruth Usoro.
Nigeria first competed at the World Championships in 1983, and has won 1 gold, 5 silver and 5 bronze medals over the years. The team will be looking to add to that tally when the ten-day competition gets underway in the Hungarian capital later this month.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
