Nigerian hurdler Tobiloba Amusan became only the fifth woman to successfully retain gold at the 100m hurdles event after claiming gold at the ongoing 22nd African Athletics Championships in Mauritius in 12.57secs.
The 25-year-old won the title for the first time in 2018 at the 21st edition of the competition and is now the third Nigerian to successfully defend the sprint hurdles title after Maria Usifo (1984 and 1985) and Glory Alozie (1996, 1998 and 2000).
She is the fifth African to achieve this feat.
Amusan was, however, denied the chance to break Alozie’s 12.77secs record set at the 11th edition of the championships in Dakar, Senegal in 1998 by an excessive 4.0m/s tailwind.
Amusan’s victory has increased Nigeria’s gold medal haul in the event to 12.
Meanwhile, quarter-miler Patience Okon George qualified for her straight fourth final in the women’s 400m after running 53.24secs to win her semi-final heat.
In the men’s version, Sikiru Adeyemi, Nathaniel Samson and Johnson Nnamani failed to advance to the final, extending Nigeria’s long 24-year wait to get an African champion since Clement Chukwu won the gold medal in Dakar, Senegal in 1998.
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