World record holder Tobi Amusan has made a strong start at the Paris 2024 Olympics by qualifying for the 100-meter hurdles semi-finals.
Amusan topped her heat with a time of 12.49 seconds, leading the field of eight athletes. She was followed by America’s Alaysha Johnson, who clocked 12.61 seconds, and Jamaica’s Janeek Brown with 12.84 seconds.
Amusan, who is among the favorites for gold, will face stiff competition in the semi-finals from a field that includes Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton, USA’s Alaysha Johnson, world champion Danielle Williams, and reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico.
The semi-finals are scheduled for Friday, August 9, with the final set to take place on Saturday, August 10.
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Amusan’s impressive form leading up to the Games includes a season’s best and world-leading time of 12.40 seconds (0.9) at the Jamaican Athletics Invitational in May. Additionally, she set the indoor African record for the 60m hurdles twice earlier this year.
Her season highlights also feature winning her third consecutive African Games title in March, anchoring the women’s 4x100m relay to gold, and clinching the African Championships title in Cameroon.
Amusan, who has participated in two previous Olympic Games (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020), boasts a stellar track record with three consecutive Diamond League titles, two Commonwealth Games gold medals, two African championships, and three African Games gold medals.
