Dylan Bettencourt
Nigerian superstar Tobi Amusan’s road to breaking the 100m hurdles world record was not an easy one.
For instance when her parents went to church, she sneaked out to practice, which is what drove her father to burn her gear.
“My dad got really mad when he found out I was running. He burnt all my training gear and told my mum that’s the last time he wanted to see me in a stadium,” she said.
Amusan made history by breaking the world record and earning Nigeria’s first-ever gold medal at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene in the USA.
The 25-year-old set a new world record after running 12.12 in the semi-final of the 100m hurdles.
In the final she broke the new record, setting a time of 12.06 but a tail wind meant that time would not be considered for the record books.
“My parents are both teachers, they are strict disciplinarians,” Amusan told BBC Sport Africa.
“When you grow up in such a family, they feel you should focus on school. And being a female, they think you are going to go astray.” Amusan said the reality hasn’t sunk in yet.
“Maybe the magnitude of what just happened will hit me later,” she said.
“I go out there and put 100% in every championship and it’s just never enough. Every time it’s a fourth-place finish.”
Her father was not the only one who doubted her abilities. Her former coach felt the same before she made a move to the United States.
“The typical Nigerian approach is to make you feel like you can’t make it,” Amusan said.
“That’s why I got a scholarship to the United States. I can say that’s really when my athletics career began. I never dreamt of going to the United States. I just wanted to run fast and be one of the Nigerian greats.”
Image source: @OregonLive
