Tobi Amusan, the reigning champion in the women's 100-meter hurdles, is set to safeguard her title today, August 24, at the 2023 World Athletics Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.

Beginning the year on a strong note with wins in hurdles competitions both globally and in Nigeria, Amusan faced a setback later in the year. In July, she was hit with a suspension after purportedly failing three doping tests. However, her fortunes turned around as the AIU cleared her prior to the commencement of the 2023 World Athletics Championship, and she has since displayed exceptional performance.

On Wednesday, August 23, Tobi Amusan secured her spot in the finals by surpassing Jamaican competitor Ackera Nugent with a time of 12.56 seconds.

At 26 years old, the Nigerian hurdles standout, with her semi-final time of 12.56 seconds, secured the eighth best qualifying time. This achievement puts her in a position to potentially secure consecutive Gold medals in the hurdles event, a feat that no African women athlete has achieved before.

Notably, she set a world record during the 2022 edition of the tournament in Oregon, USA, reaching the final in 12.12 seconds. She further etched her name in history by becoming the first Nigerian to secure the world title, achieving this in a wind-aided time of 12.06 seconds.

Later today, at 7:22 p.m. WAT, Tobi Amusan will strive to surpass her own record and defend her Gold medal against some of the sport's most exceptional competitors. Her contenders include American former world record holder Kendra Harrison, who secured the first semi-finals win in 12.33 seconds, and Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who triumphed in the last semi-finals with a time of 12.41 seconds.