How sisters in sports Tobi Amusan and Ese Brume applied their faith to achieve the impossible and became multiple record-breakers during the world championships this week.
By Professor Chris Imafidon – My GOD proved greater than my fears and obstacles! According to Miss Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan, God’s Grace gave me gold, so the glory belongs to him.
Ms Amusan posted on social media a prayer post a few hours before she won the Gold. She wrote “….. by God’s grace I will be on the podium this year”. So as the starting gun was fired, her followers, friends, family, and also her teammate and sister in sports, Ese Brume, well “praying in tongues”.
Therefore, it was not surprising when Ms Tobi Amusan’s initial reaction was….
“I’m SPEECHLESS!!!!
Indeed OLUWATOBILOBA (God is a great King)
Behold your new 100mh World Champion 12.06w ”
Tobi: Daughter of faith not fate.
Her journey to this historic success was literally full of hurdles, which were much higher than the ones she had to face in Oregon for this year’s championships. As an African athlete, she was under-resourced and discouraged by different circumstances and situations but her stubborn faith and family supported her through the tough ride to global victory and historical achievement.
Then the German sports giant, Adidas celebrated Tobi stated …
Amusan’s world record sent shockwaves throughout the world, because never before has any Africa set new records within such a limited time. Even more interestingly, it was essentially a David and Goliath fight for sporting medals. Her country, and in fact continent, has no track record of beating the Americans in any sprint event. So when Tobi defeated her American co-competitors, some media pundits could not understand her incredible success. Michael Johnson, a USA Olympian led the doubt brigade.
However, others who were familiar with Ms Amusan’s past progress saluted her brilliance and praised her efforts. For example, “Wow” tweeted Jamaican track and field great Usain Bolt, while 200m champion and American record holder Noah Lyles tweeted: “12.12 are you kidding me?” Both congratulated her on Twitter.
Meanwhile, former world record holder in Women’s 100m Hurdles, Kendra Harrison, congratulated Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan for her feat at the just concluded World Athletics Championships.
Also, German sportswear and equipment company Adidas that is responsible for kitting both Harrison, previous recorder holder and Amusan could not hide their excitement.
Her father’s response to the so-called controversy of the final race was the best. He said what God has done, what he has been doing.
Tobi, as she is popularly called, is the last child of three siblings. Oluwatobiloba Ayomide Amusan was born on April 23, 1997, in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, Nigeria, to two school teachers.
INADEQUATE SUPPORT FOR SPORTS
What everyone must understand is how rough the road to this 100m hurdles world record was for Amusan and Brume. There are no scholarships for sportsmen or women. Forget about endorsements, or sponsorships.
But luckily for Tobi, her mother was a bit liberal and was ready to accommodate her little baby’s love and interest in sports. As long as it does not impede her studies.
“My life centred around going to school, sleeping, eating, and reading books, the same cycle that I took into my later life later,” Amusan told the media in an interview conducted in 2020.
But nobody cannot describe her as an athletic outlier because both her parents were athletes. Her father played volleyball for Ogun State while her mother was a sprinter in her tertiary school days, but both were cautious in allowing their daughter free rein at athletics.
American Michael Johnson MISCALCULATIONS
According to multi-medal winning sportsman, Michael Johnson, “All athletes looked shocked,” the former 200 and 400-meter runner said. He added, “Heat 2 we were first shown winning with a time of 12.53. Few seconds later it shows 12.43. Rounding down by .01 is normal. .10 is not,” he said.
Johnson received swift and fierce backlash for his comments, and later returned to Twitter to clarify further, pointing out that he had predicted that Amusan would win.
“As a commentator my job is to comment. In questioning the times of 28 athletes (not 1 athlete) by wondering if the timing system malfunctioned, I was attacked, accused of racism, and of questioning the talent of an athlete I respect and predicted to win. Unacceptable. I move on,” he said.
FINALLY what nailed it. This was the final message before Ms Tobi entered the track. It was more than a sporting event, it was a spiritual battle.
Hi #TeamShanko
I will be competing in the 100m hurdles tomorrow, July 23rd at around 7pm Nigerian time and you can watch live on Supersport Channel 208.
This will be my 3rd appearance at the World Champs. I was a semi-finalist in London 2017, finished 4th in Doha 2019 and by God’s grace I will be on the podium this year.
Keep me in your prayers and have a great weekend!
Professor Chris Imafidon, is chair, ExcellenceinEducation.org.uk, an alliance of inner-city educational charities and institutions that mentors youths, women and professionals in the commonwealth. He is a multi-Guinness World record holder; internationally renowned adviser to monarchs, governments, presidents and corporate leaders; Mentor to multi-millionaire tech entrepreneurs & many world record holders. His research and innovation have been recognised internationally, winning multiple awards. Professor Imafidon is 5X International Bestselling author; Mentor to New York Times Bestellers and a Sunday Times Op-ed author, a Wall Street Journal BestSelling author and a regular contributor to #AfricanVoice;. [Twitter @ChrisImafidon; Instagram @CoImafidon; Facebook/Linkedln/ClubHouse –Professor Chris Imafidon]
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