Tobi Amusan of Nigeria broke the women’s 100-meter hurdles world record on Monday at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, but the win has sparked a lot of debate.
Amusan blasted to a victory in the first of three semi-finals in the first track event of the third session of the 10th day of competition with a timing of 12.12 seconds.
It smashed the previous best of 12.20sec set by American Kendra Harrison in 2016. Harrison was also in the first semi-final, finishing second in 12.27sec.
However, there was some discussion in Oregon about the accuracy of the stopwatch as a slew of scorching performances, including personal bests and national records, were established.
The legendary American sprinter Michael Johnson, who won four Olympic gold medals during his illustrious career, questioned the veracity of the 100-meter hurdles timings being recorded and suggested something was wrong.
The former American sprinter has received a lot of backlash following these comments. Many Nigerians have found his comments to be racist and demeaning. They believe that he was suggesting that it was impossible for a Nigerian to accomplish such a feat.
Here are some of the reactions.
Johnson’s worries won’t matter because Amusan’s new world record will stand.
Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, the Jamaican duo of 2015 global champion Danielle Williams and Britany Anderson, American Alia Armstrong, Bahamian Devynne Charlton, and British Cindy Sember will all compete in the final alongside Amusan and Harrison.
Joshua is a multidisciplinary creative and tech enthusiast who seeks to create meaningful experiences that make for a better and more equal world. He is a creative entrepreneur and human rights activist whose work navigates socio-cultural discourse and how it can be used as a vehicle for change.
Leave a reply