Tobi Amusan secured a silver medal and $75,000 prize money on the opening day of the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The former world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles clocked 12.34secs behind the same American Masai Russell who erased her record barely a fortnight ago. Russell took the gold in the historic final with 12.22 secs.
Dutch sprint hurdler Nadine Visser completed the podium after crossing the line in 12.39 seconds.
Although Amusan missed out on the gold medal, her runner-up finish earned her a substantial $75,000 prize and gave Nigeria its first major result of the championships.
Amusan had earlier secured her place in the final after finishing second in her semi-final in 12.49 seconds.
In the women’s 400m, Nigeria’s Ella Onojuvwevwo was unable to progress to the final after competing in the opening rounds of the event.
Despite missing out on the championship race, the Nigerian quarter-miler ended her season on an encouraging note, having broken the 50-second barrier and gained valuable experience competing against some of the world’s leading athletes.
Nigeria’s opening-day campaign also suffered disappointment after the country was left out of the final start list for the mixed 4x100m relay.
Team Nigeria had secured automatic qualification for the event at the World Relays in Botswana, but the country was not included among the final confirmed entries in Budapest.
Consequently, Nigeria did not take part in the mixed relay on the opening evening of the championships.
With Amusan’s silver medal providing a positive start, Team Nigeria will now turn its attention to the remaining events as the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championships continue in Budapest.