Amusan Clocks 3rd Fastest Time In 2019, Races To New 12.49 Seconds Personal Best In France

Reigning Commonwealth Games 100m hurdles queen, Tobiloba Amusan scorched to a new 12.49 seconds personal best Tuesday at the Meeting Pro Athlé Tour de Sotteville les Rouen in Sotteville, France, Completesports.com reports

The time has catapulted the petite Nigerian to third on the 2019 IAAF top list of performances behind Jamaica’s Janeek Brown who ran 12.40 seconds to win the NCAA title in June and USA’s world record holder, Kendra Harrison who ran 12.43 seconds to win the IAAF Diamond League sprint hurdles in Monaco last Friday.

Amusan has become not only the third woman to break 12.50 over the high hurdles so far this year, she is also the 38th fastest woman of all time in the event.

She also becomes the second Nigerian nay African woman inside 12.50 seconds after Glory Alozie who holds the African record of 12.44 seconds set in August 2018.

Amusan was in inspired form at the meeting, moving out of the blocks in bullet-like fashion and was never headed by the chasing pack led by 2013 IAAF Worlds finalist, Claye Queen of the USA who also ran a personal 12.63 seconds season’s best and homegirl, Compper Solenn who came third in 12.98 seconds.

It was Amusan’s sixth race over the distance this year and has broken 13 seconds in all, starting with a wind-aided (+3.3mps) 12.96 seconds she ran at the Drake Relays in April.

She followed up with an impressive 12.73 seconds at the opening leg of the IAAF Diamond League in Doha in May before dropping down to 12.85 seconds to place third at the BAUHAUS-galan IAAF Diamond League meeting in Stockholm.

She improved to a new 12.71 seconds personal season’s best last month at the Josef Odložil Memorial in Prague, Czech Republic before the geometrical proportion in  Sotteville on Tuesday.

The Nigerian will be aiming for Alozie’s African record this weekend at the 2019 Muller Anniversary IAAF Diamond League meeting in London this weekend.

By Dare Esan