6.) Oluwatobiloba Amusan vs Lindsay Weyinme
Many would have doubted that this talk will be happening this year, but thanks to Oluwatobiloba Amusan, the homebased athletes now have a strong conviction they can beat the foreign ones. While Lindsay Weyinme made the switch from the US to compete for Nigeria in 2014, a local athlete was getting ready to step up in the women’s 100m Hurdles.
2015 was Amusan’s breakout year and one that she will remember fondly having gone from being a local athlete to winning two continental GOLDs.
Having won the Africa Junior Championship title in Addis Ababa clocking 14.26s, Amusan six months later shaved off more than a second with her winning time of 13.11s at the African Games in Congo Brazzaville, stunning the Nigerian Athletics world.
Prior to Amusan’s outing in Brazzaville, Nigeria’s hopes for a medal in the women’s 100m hurdles was on Wenyime, undoubtedly as she is the Nigerian champion, and having dipped in below 13s with her Season’s Best of 12.97s, it was only logical to see her returning a medal.
The battle for supremacy between Weyinme and Amusan started gathering momentum at the National trials in Warri. While Weyinme comfortably won her heat in 13.68s, Amusan won heat 2 in 13.73s. In the final, both athletes closely followed each other as they scaled the barriers with Weyinme nicking the win in 13.40s and Amusan 2nd in 13.53s.
That berthed the rivalry and it intensified as they fought to outwit each other. While Weyinme was off to Beijing, Amusan was back home preparing for the 2015 African Games, and it was with shock when she crossed the line before others. Weyinme won Bronze, and she more than any else knows she’s got a fight on her hands.
There are reports that Amusan has relocated abroad, if true it can only help in honing her skills to become better. Will Amusan outgun Weyinme for the title? Time will tell.
So, do you agree with us? Let’s get your thoughts.
