Jamaica has taken over from Nigeria as holders of Women’s 100m Hurdles World Title.
The defending champion Tobi Amusan lost her 100m hurdles crown to Jamaica’s Danielle Williams on Thursday in a shock win in Budapest.
Williams, the 30-year-old, who previously won in Beijing in 2015, timed 12.43 seconds to edge out Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico (12.44sec) with Kendra Harrison of the United States taking bronze (12.46).
Amusan and 2019 winner Nia Ali were never in the hunt, finishing sixth and last respectively.
Amusan was cleared of doping violations with the provisional suspension on her lifted ahead of the championship.
Last month, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) provisionally suspended the Nigerian track and field athlete for three missed whereabouts failures.
The suspension was announced after it was discovered that Amusan had missed three drug tests within a 12-month period. This charge carried a two-year suspension term, even if an athlete has never failed a drug test.
Ultimately, the Disciplinary Tribunal announced the verdict which stated, “Tobi Amusan has not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) of three Whereabouts Failures within a 12-month period”.
In the final on Thursday, Williams, running in the outsider’s lane two, rose at the final hurdle alongside Camacho-Quinn and Harrison.
However, Williams found just that bit more to cross ahead of her two more fancied rivals.
For Camacho-Quinn it was an improvement of one place from last year.
“I’m not upset at all,” said the 27-year-old. “I can be grateful with that silver. After I won a bronze at the last world championships now I have a silver.
“If I add my Olympic gold medal I have the whole collection to be proud of.”
Camacho-Quinn, only Puerto Rico’s second ever Olympic champion, said to come second in one of the strongest fields of all time was a privilege.
“This final was packed with talents and I was defeated by just a tenth of a second so I don’t have any bitter feelings,” she said.
For Harrison it was once again a final disappointment.
The 30-year-old former world record holder had set a world leading time in her heat of 12.24sec but failed to carry that form into the final.
Harrison added a bronze to her two silvers (Olympic and world).
Also, Jamaica’s Antonio Watson upset a loaded field to win gold in the men’s 400m at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest on Thursday.
Watson, 21, produced a perfectly-timed effort down the home straight to win in 44.22 seconds.
Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith claimed silver in 44.31sec, with American Quincy Hall taking bronze (44.37).
Tobi Amusan says she will be back “stronger” next year.
In an interview with journalists after the game, Amusan said it was quite “a journey getting into the final” despite all she had gone through in the last couple of weeks.
“It has been God, my team and my family,” the 2022 gold winner told reporters.
She thanked all her fans for supporting her through the ups and downs, promising that she will be back stronger.
Amusan hopes to get her “medal” back next year.
“Yeah, it’s a tough one; nobody likes to lose but considering what I have gone through in the past couple of months, I’m so grateful that I came out,” she enthused.
A loss in the final for Amusan who looked out of form after a turbulent preparation period means that as it stands, Team Nigeria is yet to record a medal on Day 6 of the ongoing World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
Amusan was a huge medal hopeful as the world hurdles champion enjoyed a superb run of form and set the current world record for the women’s 100m hurdles of 12.12 seconds at last year’s World Athletics Championships in Oregon and a world title that followed in a record time of 12.06.
She also retained her Commonwealth Games title with a new Games’ record of 12.30s and defended her Diamond League title in a record-breaking season that saw her set impressive records and win the Nigerian, African, Commonwealth, World, and Diamond League titles.
