UTEP's Tobi Amusan shatters 100-meter hurdles world record, takes gold

EUGENE, Oregon — Over the course of two hours, Tobi Amusan went from a face in the crowd to the face of her sport.

In that span Sunday evening, the El Pasoan picked to repeat her previous fourth-place finishes at major track meets became the world record holder, then the gold medal holder in the 100-meter hurdles at the World Athletic Championships. It was a stunning rise for the Nigerian who had been known for near-misses on the biggest stage.

More:World Athletics Championships women's 100 hurdles results

By early evening she was known as a world record holder after running 12.12 seconds in the semifinals, breaking the 6-year-old record set by American Kendra Harrison. Harrison was second in that semifinal heat to Amusan in 12.27.

Suddenly a favorite for the first time since her NCAA title in the 100 hurdles for UTEP in 2017, she ran a wind-aided 12.06 in the finals that is the fastest all-conditions time ever.

When asked how her life changed after her world record, Amusan, in her typical way, looked at the small picture.

"I've been eating a lot of bananas and coach has been chugging water down my throat," she said of the two hours between record and world championship. "I'm not one to drink a lot of water, but that played out well. Maybe I'll drink water all year long."

As for the finals: "I just tried to control my nerves. I knew it was going to be pressurized heading into the finals knowing I was the favorite," said Amusan, who shortly will relocate to Auburn, where her coach, former UTEP assistant Lacena Golding-Clarke, just took an assistant coaching job.

"I just said to myself, this is another round. I'm not going to pressurize it because it's the finals. I'm competing against the best in the world. I had to keep my composure and execute, focus on my lane. I did that."

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Amusan came to this meet with a best of 12.41 but bettered that three times in three races. In the process, she bettered her previous best finishes at majors, as she was fourth at the Olympics last year and fourth in the 2019 World Athletics Championships.

She is the first-ever Nigerian woman to hold a track world record and the second UTEP alum to hold a world record in a sanctioned event, along with Bob Beaman in the long jump.

It was stunning, but Golding-Clarke may have been the least surprised person in the building.

"When we got here, we did a run over 10 hurdles and I was, 'Oh my stopwatch, I didn't get the right time,'" Clarke said. "I thought, 'But I did get the right time.' She said, 'I felt super; I felt so fast. What was the time?' I said, 'It's the world record, but it's just on my stopwatch.'

"That's what I told her. Lo and behold, when I saw that (in the semis), 'Oh my God, she did it. She did it. I wasn't surprised, I thought she could do it. It was having her hurdle a clean race, don't hit any hurdles, run clean. She did it, and I'm super proud, super proud."

Golding-Clarke said the time on her watch at the workout was 11.96, which translates to a 12.20 fully-automatic time.

"When she ran the heats (Saturday) and she ran (a then-personal best) 12.40, I knew she was ready," Golding-Clarke said. "I'm super happy."

As for how Amusan's life will change, "she can handle anything now," Golding-Clarke said. "She said, 'I finally, finally figured out how to win. I'm calm now. My palms aren't sweaty.' I told her she's more ready than she ever was."

Her run electrified more than her and the crowd. One of her competitors in the semifinal, Australian Michelle Jenneke, was fifth and didn't make the finals, but did set a personal best.

"To hit the finish line, look up and see 12.12, I celebrated being part of the glory," Jenneke said. "That was amazing just to be part of that race."

Amusan joked about it afterward.

"It was a shock," she said. "I saw it on the heat sheet (for the finals, which lists semi times), 'Yee hooo, look at that.' My coach told me to relax, execute, the time will come."

The time did come, more quickly than it's ever come for anyone before.

Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP's Tobi Amusan shatters 100-meter hurdles world record, wins gold