Nigeria’s Paris 2024 Olympics medal hopeful, Tobi Amusan, faced a surprising defeat at the Mike Holloway Pro Classic in Florida, as reigning US College champion Grace Stark clinched victory in convincing style.
The World Record (WR) holder in the women’s 100m hurdles finished in second place with a time of 12.60s (-1.7m/s), narrowly behind Stark’s impressive winning time of 12.58s, signaling Stark’s readiness for the Paris Olympics.
Stark, the NCAA Champion, has been in exceptional form this season. Her highlight came at the US Olympic trials, where she recorded a blistering Personal Best (PB) of 12.31s, finishing second behind Masai Russell’s world-leading time of 12.25s.
Defeating the former world champion in such a decisive manner will surely boost Stark’s confidence ahead of her Olympic debut. Her consistent performances this season mark her as a strong medal contender for Paris.
In addition to Stark, Ackera Nugent and Masai Russell have emerged as top challengers for Amusan in Paris, having posted world-leading times. Despite this setback, Amusan remains a formidable competitor. She clocked an impressive 12.49s to win her heat race, the second-fastest time this season, only behind her own 12.40s in Jamaica.
This performance underscores the 27-year-old’s continued strong form. With two weeks left before the women’s 100m hurdles event in Paris, Amusan has time to fine-tune her preparations and peak at the right moment. Her history of delivering in major championships suggests she could still be a serious medal threat.
Queen of Hurdles Tobi Amusan narrowly lost out to NCAA Champion Grace Stark who won in 12.58s (-1.7m/s)
Tobi finished second on the night with a 12.60s, defeating Kendra Harrison+Masai Russell at the final 100mH race of Holloway Pro Classic.#GoForGoldNaija#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/mbbLOusXhP
— Positive Nigeria Vibes (@PositiveNGVibes) July 20, 2024
Amusan, who became the fastest woman in history in the 100m hurdles at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, is aiming to become Nigeria’s first athlete to win both a world outdoor and Olympic title. At the very least, she hopes to match Glory Alozie’s silver medal feat from the Sydney 2000 Olympics.
Meanwhile, US champion and world leader Masai Russell, also a strong medal contender for Paris, finished third in the race with a time of 12.66s, marking her second defeat to Amusan on the night.
