By Abimbola Ogunnaike
Technical Director of the AFN Samuel Onikeku has disclosed that it is only the Athletic Integrity Unit (AIU) who could give an update about why Tobi Amusan’s name was deleted from the lists of Athletes expected to represent Team Nigeria at the World Athletic Championship.
According to Onikeku, the federation has done all the needful to make sure Amusan participate in the championship but unfortunately, AIU decided otherwise.
“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 Punch online during an interview on the matter of Amusan.
Recalls that Amusan’s name was conspicuously missing from the Team Nigeria’s list of 26 athletes released on Tuesday, August 8, 2023 by the federation.
The list has 11 male and 15 female athletes for the championships, which holds from August 19 to 27 in Budapest, Hungary
The list include: Ese Brume, Ruth Usoro. Sade Olatoye (Hammer) and Chioma Onyekwere (Discuss) are also among the prominent females on the AFN list.
National champion Usheoritshe Itshekiri, Favour Ashe, Seye Ogunlewe, Alaba Akintola, Fakorede Adekalu and Anunagba Karlington will be spread across the men’s 100m and 4x100m relay races, just as Rosemary Chukwuma, Favour Ofili, Faith Okwose, Justina Eyakpobeyan and Success Umukoro will compete in the women’s 100m and 4x100m event.
With this development, Amusan’s participation at the championship is doubtful after she was provisionally suspended by the AIU for missing three drug tests this season, one month to the championships.
While AIU insisted that there would be a hearing on her case before the World Championships, Amusan on her part vowed to fight the charges and prove her innocence, but nothing has been heard about the proceedings, with just 10 days to this year’s championships.
Amusan, Ogun State born athlete, made history at the championships last year in Oregon, USA, racing to a new world record time of 12.12secs in the semi-finals, before running 12.06secs in the final to clinch the gold medal and become Nigeria’s first ever world champion and record holder in athletics.
Before her suspension, the 26-year-old had been in scintillating form, running a new season’s best of 12.34secs at the Silesia Diamond League meeting in Poland to win her second consecutive race of the season in July.
That is not all, as she also won at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold in Hungary same month.
Source: Punch Online
