The current World, Commonwealth and African champion in the 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan has revealed the secrets behind her successful outing on the track last year.
The 25-year-old record holder disclosed that she almost gave up on Athletics and planned to go back to school before becoming World Champion.
Tobi enjoyed a triumphant outing last year. She became the first Nigerian world champion in an athletics event, when she won the 2022 World Championships 100m hurdles gold medal and set the current world record of 12.12secs.
She also won the womenâs 100 meters hurdles at the Diamond League final in Zurich. Amusan also broke the hurdles record in the semi-finals in 12.12s at the World Athletic Championship.
In a recent interview with Justin Tuckey, the Ogun-born hurdler said winning the World Championships 100m hurdles gold medal at the World Championships in Oregon was a turning point in her career.Â
Amusan said she trained hard and prepared herself mentally before any race, noting that it helped her stay focused.
She further stated that prior to her record-breaking year, she was always coming fourth and it felt so tiring, adding that she feels people can still do something great when they feel it’s over.
She said:
âThat was the moment of âdid I just do that?â. But yes, it was months, years, and a crazy amount of training and hard work that people saw in 12secs. Sweat, tears, heartbreaks and on the verge of quitting literally every other year. You know seeing it unfold at that moment, with my coach in the stands was just âma we did itâ, you know it was just crazy,â Amusan said.
âThat year, I was like if something doesnât go right⊠And I felt like it was what actually got me into doing my Masters because I was looking forward to what if the season doesnât go right? In as much as we want to do great things, God approves whatever thing we want to do, but then itâs more of Iâve been putting in the work and showing up every year and it was just fourth, fourth, so I was just tired.
âIt was a moment of God, you can still do something even when youâre broken and you feel like itâs over, because 2022 was supposed to be like my quit year.
âI mean if God doesnât want to show up I can as well do something with my energy. So, it was just the moment I wanted to quit and God just showed up miraculously, so it was a huge moment for myself, my coach, my family and everyone who supported me.â
âWe put our bodies through six hours of training every day for six days a week. And you can be the fittest person in a race and mentally you just get distracted by the other runners on the tracks. A few moments of that ruin everything. And with my kind of event, you need 100 percent focus.
âSo, the mental part is just as important, if not more, because you have done the work by training hard and now you show up at the track. Sometimes, itâs not about who is the toughest. I have been in every championship finals and itâs not about the toughest, but who wants it and can relax and execute in most of the race scenarios.
âMost times when I train, I do my little talking in my head to prepare myself mentally. What I do in training is what I do on the tracks. So, when you see me out there, I am not crazy, I do this every day, especially when I have lots of hurdle practices.
âI say to myself, âyou are the best, you have to do it.â That self-affirmation, like talking in your head, kind of gets you going, but the time you get on the track, I know what to say to calm myself down and not put myself under unnecessary pressure. Itâs really important to be mentally tough.â
