Tobi Amusan has been nominated for the Laureus sports award in the ‘Breakthrough of the Year’ category alongside five other athletes.
Her nomination makes her the first Nigerian sportswoman to be considered for the world’s most prestigious sporting award, following Vitalis Lanshima’s nomination in the ‘Sportsperson with a Disability’ category in 2004, which he lost to a Canadian.
The coveted award, originally presented in 2000, honours the year’s best and most inspirational sporting victories and highlights the efforts of Laureus Sport for good.
Last year, Amusan became Nigeria’s first world record holder in any track and field event, after racing to an exceptional 12.12s to win her 100m hurdles semi-final race at the world championships in Oregon.
She then became Nigeria’s first world champion outdoors by winning the world title in the final, clocking another massive time of 12.06s (2.6m/s). It would have been a new world record as well, but for the excessive wind reading which invalidated it.
Less than two weeks after the Oregon competition, Amusan added Commonwealth and Diamond League titles, clocking record-breaking times of 12.30s (games record) and 12.29s (meeting record) to successfully defend both titles, making her the first Nigerian athlete in history to achieve such a feat.
Her outstanding performances and iconic feats last year have seen her give the sport a significant facelift in Nigeria and globally, as she’s now one of the most influential sportspersons in Africa
