World Athletics Championships: Amike says Amusan’s travail could spur her to triumph

Henry Amike, an ex-olympian, said on Tuesday that Tobi Amusan’s recent travails could propel her to victory at the ongoing 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Amike said this in an interview in Lagos, urging Amusan to put behind her the suspension saga by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU).

The panel of the Disciplinary Tribunal, by majority decision, found that Amusan had not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) of three Whereabouts Failures within 12 months.

Amike said the suspension saga could spur Amusan into breaking the record set at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon, U.S.

“As athletes, we react to things differently. Her recent travail could actually encourage her to clock a good time and break her own record.

“The effect of the recent drama is more psychological than physical. Once her mind can take control of the fact that she deserves to be in Hungary, she will pull through.

“Not every trauma brings out the negative. I hope she has the support that she needs at the moment because that will go a long way; she needs good people that believe in her around her at the moment,” Amike said.

On the performance of the country’s representatives at the championships, Amike who specialised in the 400 meters hurdles, told NAN that it was unfortunate that Ese Brume couldn’t replicate her 2022 performance.

“In sports, especially athletics in particular, one never knows how events will turn out. It’s painful that she didn’t make it to the podium but it’s one of those things.

“This is not the time to dwell on what was, she has what it takes but this outing was not favourable to her. It’s one of those things that happen to athletes,” Amike said.

For the first time in her blooming career, Nigeria’s medal hope in the women’s Long Jump event, Brume, finished her event outside the medal range as she placed 4th after her final jump.

Brume, who won a Bronze medal in the same event at Oregon last year, was a shadow of herself as her best was not good enough for a podium finish.

Nigeria’s mixed team, made up of the quartet of Dubem Nwachukwu, Patience Okon-George, Ezekiel Nathaniel and Imaobong Nse Uko, finished 7th in Heat 2 of the mixed 4x400m relay at the ongoing World Athletics Championships, clocking a Season’s Best (SB) of 3:14.38.