On Sunday, July 24, 25-year-old Nigerian sprint hurdler, Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan, simply known as Tobi, hogged the headlines when she did what only she believed was possible. The jet-legged hurdler smashed to pieces the 100m hurdles world record set by American sprinter, Kendra Harrison, in 2016 to become the first Nigerian world champion in athletics.
The youngster achieved the spectacular feat when she won the 2022 World Athletics Championship by setting a new world record of 12.12 seconds in the semifinals before following up with a 12.06 seconds wind-assisted record in the final to take the precious gold medal.
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Within a space of 90 minutes, Tobi dazzled and mesmerized the world with her performance. She also brought undiluted joy to millions of Nigerians presently traumatized and depressed by the prevailing insecurity and excruciating economic hardship in the country.
Moreover, Team Nigeria was facing a barren outing at the world championships before Tobi and Ese Brume popped up with their medals to avert another shame that would have befallen a nation of over 200m people.
It would be remembered that at the World Championships in Doha in 2019, Ese Brume’s bronze medal in the long jump event was the only medal Team Nigeria had to show for their participation.
So, when Team Nigeria reached the final day of the World Championships in Oregon without a single medal, not a few people concluded that Nigeria had just embarked on another jamboree. However, Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume had different plans.
While Brume who had won bronze at the last championship in Doha went a step higher by winning silver in the long jump event in Oregon, her compatriot accelerated to the zenith of athletics by winning the 100,000 US Dollars gold medal in the 100m hurdles event. Yes, Tobi’s gold fetched her a princely 100,000 Dollars from the Word Athletics body. So, she now has fame, many admirers and enough money in her bank account.
For many, Tobi’s exhilarating performance in Oregon was a pleasant surprise but the athlete herself wasn’t shocked by what she dished to athletics fans across the globe in a few seconds. As Nigerian football commentators would say whenever a goal is scored, ‘she saw it coming’.
In 2016 when she started to blossom, Tobi had Tweeted “Unknown now but soon I will be unforgettable, I will persist till I succeed.” Almost seven years later, she has emerged world champion to silence those who must have felt she was only babbling like an overzealous convert to a new religion when she waxed philosophical that year.
Tobi’s success is not accidental. It is imperative to note that she followed up on her vow with action as she refused to slumber or rest on her oars even when she began to catch the attention of the world.
Before her most recent feat, she had emerged champion at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2018 African Championships and was two-time African Games champion. And in 2021, she won the Diamond League trophy in Zurich to become the first Nigerian to do so. As a matter of fact, in the process of winning the Diamond League trophy, she also broke the then African record held by her compatriot Gloria Alozie. In summary, before her resounding victory in Oregon, Tobi had won eight gold, two silver and one bronze medal in less than nine years.
Considering her poor background, Tobi’s self-belief and tenacity of character is what has lifted her to the top of the world in her chosen career. She refused to succumb to challenges before her. This explains why in her now famous 2016 Tweet, she harped on persistence and perseverance. It was the same self-belief and audacity that made her put up another Tweet describing herself as the ‘incoming world champion’. She made the post a few hours before the finals in Oregon.
So, among the many lessons to learn from Tobi is her resilience and the never say die spirit which Nigerians are known for. When you have a vision, you must be focused to pursue it vigorously.
The beginning was definitely rough as her father has just confessed that feeding his family and paying children’s school fees wasn’t an easy task. And being a girl child, Tobi endured ‘persecution’ in the hands of her dad when she chose sports for a career. She has revealed how she had to lie to go for training and how her father even burnt her training kits when he discovered she was sneaking out to attend training sessions.
So, when she mounted the podium in Oregon to receive her gold medal, it was impossible to hold back the tears that flooded her glittering face as the Nigerian national anthem was played in her honour. Tobi’s mind must have raced back to all the battles she fought while trying to keep her dreams alive. All she could do at that moment was to shed the sweet tears which I believe many Nigerians intentionally misinterpreted.
While the world celebrated Tobi, some Nigerians quickly concluded that she cried profusely because she felt her country doesn’t deserve that glorious moment. Some wrote that she wept because she knew that ‘white elephant’ promises would greet her on arrival from Oregon. For some, she cried because there is too much ‘sharing of blood’ in Nigeria, apologies to Dame Patience Jonathan. And some said Tobi cried because ‘Batified’ and ‘Atikulated’ Nigerians are not ready to be ‘OBIdient’. This may sound funny but there was almost nothing Nigerians didn’t attribute her expensive tears to.
However, I don’t think Tobi’s tears were as a result of any of the reasons presented by those people that Nigerian media managers usually refer to as mischief makers. Her tears were borne out of patriotism and love for a nation that has given her the platform to be seen and celebrated globally.
Tobi wept because some of her near misses had earned her the ignominious tag of an ‘almost girl’ which rather than slow her down, fired her up. Therefore, when she eventually shocked and silenced the naysayers, she was left with no option than to shed the tears of joy.
My sincere wish is for Tobi to infect other members of Team Nigeria currently vying for honours at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with her fighting spirit for them to break records and cry more than she did in Oregon.
