Tobi Amusan, the Nigerian 100m hurdles world record holder, has been dethroned as world champion at the ongoing World Championships in Budapest.
Amusan finished sixth in the final race in 12.62s.
Surprisingly, the race was won by Jamaican Danielle Williams in 12.43s, even though she was widely seen as an outsider going into Thursday’s final.
Jasmine Camacho-Quinn finished second in 12.44s for Silver, with Keni Harrison taking the Bronze in 12.46s.
Amusan, who remains the African and Commonwealth Games two-time champion, will live to fight another day as many believe she will bounce back stronger than ever.
Amusan did not have the best of starts in the final race and eventually lost her rhythm at the tail end of the race, thus settling for the sixth position.
Amusan’s dethroning is a major upset as she had been the dominant force in the 100m hurdles since winning the gold medal at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon.
She also holds the African and Commonwealth Games records in the event.
However, Amusan had a difficult build-up to the 2023 World Championships. She was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) for missing three out-of-competition drug tests.
She was eventually cleared to compete in Budapest, but the suspension undoubtedly affected her preparations.
Despite the disappointment of being dethroned, Amusan can still be proud of her achievements.
She is still the reigning African and Commonwealth Games champion, and she is one of the best 100m hurdlers in the world.
She will be looking to bounce back and reclaim her title at the next World Championships in 2025, but before then, she will aim for a good outing at next year’s Paris Olympic Games.
