Tobi Amusan, the world women’s 100m hurdles champion and record holder, was absent from Team Nigeria’s list of 26 competitors for the World Athletics Championships, which was revealed on Tuesday, August 8.
The list includes 11 male and 15 female participants for the championships, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from August 19 to 27.
Ese Brume, a silver medalist in last year’s championships, made the list. She’ll be hoping for gold in Budapest.
Ruth Usoro will compete with Ese in the long jump. Sade Olatoye (Hammer) and Chioma Onyekwere (Discuss) are two other notable women on the AFN list.
Usheoritshe Itshekiri, Favour Ashe, Seye Ogunlewe, Alaba Akintola, Fakorede Adekalu, and Anunagba Darlington are among the men’s 100m and 4x100m relay competitors. In the women’s 100m and 4x100m events, Rosemary Chukwuma, Favour Ofili, Faith Okwose, Justina Eyakpobeyan, and Success Umukoro will compete.
Read Also: Again, Tobi Amusan Wins Diamond League Trophy
Tobi Amusan did not make the list because she is now charged with violating anti-doping rules by missing three drug tests in a 12-month period.
Amusan has vowed to fight the charges and prove her innocence, but nothing has been heard about the proceedings with only 10 days till the championships, while the Athletics Integrity Unit has subsequently said that a hearing on her case will take place before the World Championships.
According to AFN Technical Director Samuel Onikeku, only the AIU could provide an update on Amusan.
“We have perfected the list and it has been released. But unfortunately, it is the AIU who can comment on Amusan’s case,” Onikeku told our correspondent.
According to AFN sources, Amusan’s name was included on the list given to World Athletics in the hope that the hurdler would be cleared to compete before the championships began.
“She is on the entry list sent to the World Athletics; they cannot remove it because AIU has not taken a decision on her. If they remove it now and they say she is free to compete, she might not be able to go again, so the best way is to leave her name there. If they say she is free to compete, fine, if she is not free to compete, they can remove it. But in the meantime, her name is on the entry list submitted to the World Athletics,” the source said.
