Tobi Amusan, the world champion and record-holder in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, has not yet received approval to run at this year’s World Championships, which get underway this weekend in Budapest, Hungary, according to the World Athletics.
This comes after various circulating rumours claimed that the Nigerian had been given permission to compete to defend her title at the competition.
Amusan was temporarily suspended by the AIU last month for missing three whereabouts tests.
The message from World Athletics’ head of communications, Nicole Jeffery, was received through the Nigerian track and field team Making of Champions. It read, “Please be advised – reports appearing in Nigeria that say Tobi Amusan has been cleared to compete in Budapest are wrong.
“No decision has been made in this case yet. When a decision is made, it will be announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit.”
The world champion in the women’s 100-meter hurdles was named among Team Nigeria’s participants in the World Athletics entry list, but her participation is still pending approval from the AIU.
The Athletics Federation of Nigeria stated that it was awaiting the AIU’s judgement over the hurdler, with a decision anticipated to be made before the start of the competitions.
According to AFN Technical Director Samuel Onikeku, “The condition that the World Athletics put in front of her name says ‘pending AIU process’, so we are still waiting for it. But I’m sure we will have it before the start of the games.”
The 26-year-old Nigerian created history at the championships last year in Oregon, USA, setting a new world record time of 12.12 seconds in the semifinals and ran 12.06 seconds in the final to win gold and become Nigeria’s first-ever global champion in athletics.
In July, Amusan won her second straight race of the season at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Poland, setting a new season’s best time of 12.34 seconds. That same month, she also won the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold in Hungary.
