Amusan missing as AFN releases World Championships list

• Tobi Amusan, world 100m hurdles champion, absent from Nigeria’s 26-athlete list for World Athletics Championships due to suspension
• Athletics Federation of Nigeria includes Amusan’s name in hopes of clearance before championships; AIU’s decision awaited

Tobi Amusan, the world women’s 100m hurdles champion and record holder, was conspicuously absent from Team Nigeria’s list of 26 athletes to the World Athletics Championships, which was released on Tuesday by the Athletics Federation of Nigeria.

The list includes 11 male and 15 female athletes for the championships, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from August 19 to 27.

Ese Brume, a silver medalist at last year’s championships, will aim for gold in Budapest. Ruth Usoro will compete with her 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 Karlington will compete in the men’s 100m and relay races, while Rosemary Chukwuma, Favour Ofili, Faith Okwose, Justina Eyakpobeyan, and Success Umukoro will compete in the women’s 100m and relay.

While Nigeria has many medal contenders on the list, the AFN is still waiting for word on Amusan’s fate.

The hurdler’s participation in the championship has been called into question after she was provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit one month before the competition for failing three drug tests this season.

While the AIU also stated that a hearing on her case would be held prior to the World Championships, she also vowed to fight the charges and prove her innocence, but nothing has been heard about the proceedings with only 10 days until this year’s championships.

The AFN’s Technical Director, Samuel Onikeku, told The PUNCH that only the AIU could provide an update on Amusan.

“The list has been perfected and released.” However, only the AIU can comment on Amusan’s case,” Onikeku told our correspondent.

According to AFN sources, Amusan’s name was included on the list sent to World Athletics in the hope that the hurdler would be cleared to compete before the championships began.