Oluwatobiloba Amusan has made a smooth transition from the track to the field, winning the women’s Long Jump with a Personal Best (PB) at California’s Brutus Hamilton Open & Challenge meet on Saturday, April 23.
This year, Amusan a Freshman, has shone for her school University of Texas El Paso (UTEP) but mainly in the women’s 100m Hurdles where at some point she ran the 4th fastest time in the world. However, her latest exploit in the Long Jump is another feather in a blossoming career.
Amusan’s winning mark of 6.19m (+2.5) saw her secure 9 points for her school, a jump she made at her second attempt, having opened with 6.00m. Isabella Marten finished 2nd with her best mark of 6.01m, as Abby Taylor placed 3rd with a distance of 5.69m.
The winning jump sees Amusan rank No.3 in the C-USA and 24th nationally. Considering Amusan’s height, it is quite remarkable seeing her get past 6m. Who knows, if she really takes it up, she could be challenging the likes of Ese Brume as one of Nigeria’s female Long Jumpers.
In fact, the Long Jump was one of the two GOLDs Amusan won. She ran the second leg for her school as they powered to victory in the women’s 4x100m relay, running a time of 45.35s.
Her compatriot Florence Uwakwe, was equally part of the success story, anchoring the UTEP team that won GOLD. UC Davis finished 2nd in 46.41s, with New Mexico 3rd in 46.46s.
