My Abilities Not Centred Around Spikes, Amusan Replies Johnson

Nigerian superstar Tobi Amusan has fired back at the American athlete Michael Johnson, saying her abilities are not centered around spikes.

Tobi Amusan has been making the headlines since Sunday after clocked an incredible 12.06 seconds, smashing her own world record in the semi-final where she clocked 12.12 seconds.

But Johnson claimed after the race that he did not believe the time was correct.

The 25-year-old Nigerian star who was wearing Adidas Adizero Avanti shoes designed for runners – customized with bouncy foam due to an injury, dismissed claims that her footwear assisted her brilliant run.

“My Abilities are not centered around spikes,” Amusan told UK popular tabloid, The Guardian.

“I had patella fasciitis at the beginning of the season so that set me back for a while.

“I spoke to Adidas and requested if I could get spikes with a softer sole,” she added.

“They recommended a lot of stuff and I feel comfortable in that, so I was using them basically the entire time.”

Meanwhile, Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC) has congratulated Team Nigeria’s heroines after their spectacular success at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA, on Sunday.

Tobi Amusan caused a stir after smashing a world record in the Women’s 100-meter hurdles in the semi-finals at the World Championships.

Amusan came in with a record time of 12.12 seconds, beating Kendra Harrison’s 2016 record of 12.20 by 0.8 of a second.

She went on to bag gold in the final, though her initial finishing time of 12.06 was ruled out due to strong wind speeds.

An overjoyed Secretary General of the NOC, Banji Oladapo pointed out that Amusan was part of athletes that received IOC scholarships from 2017 to 2021 and she is currently on IOC scholarship from 2021 to 2024.

‘’The target is to win Gold in Paris 2024. NOC is happy that she has shot herself and Nigeria into reckoning’’ as she described her as an inspiration to everyone at home’’.

The NOC also applauded the efforts of Ese Brume who won silver after winning bronze in the Olympics in Tokyo.

“The skill, determination and hard work shown by the athletes and their support teams throughout the Championships has been an inspiration to us all. We salute their strength, passion and determination”, Oladapo noted.

Team Nigeria finished 13th on the overall medal placement and third best placed country from Africa.

Nigeria finished behind Kenya and Ethiopia with Uganda finishing fourth place.