I’m not under pressure to win Olympic gold – Amusan

Tobi Amusan has declared that she feels no pressure to clinch the gold medal at the forthcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games, scheduled to take place from July 26th to August 11th.

Tobi Amusan, the current world record holder in the women’s 100m hurdles, has been on a hot streak leading up to the Olympics, setting a world-leading time of 12.40 seconds (with a 0.9 meters per second wind) at the Jamaican Athletics Invitational in Kingston just last week.

Before then, she had set the African 60m hurdles indoor record twice in January and February and admitted she was in better shape than in previous seasons.

In what will be her third appearance at the Olympics in Paris, the 27-year-old downplayed a rush of pressure for her to add the Olympic gold medal to her cabinet.

“No pressure, just having fun. One day at a time, one race at a time, no pressure on. When it’s time for Paris, we’ll definitely show up in Paris,” Amusan said via Making of Champions ahead of the Adidas Atlanta City Games.

When asked about her timing this season, the world record holder also said it becomes important during major competitions.

“I’m not really worried about time; I just want to execute and get the win; that’s most important. That’s something me and my coaches have been working on, so when we get to championships, we will be worried about time,” she said.

Asked about her slow start to races, as evident in her coming from behind to win the Jamaica Invitational and set the world lead, she also noted, “We are definitely working on it. We have our days when we come together and other days, but it’s something I’m working on, and I hope it comes together at the right time.”

Amusan, a three-time (consecutive) Diamond League winner, two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist, two-time African champion, and three-time African Games gold medalist, has participated in two Olympic Games (Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020).

In her debut appearance in 2016, she failed to advance beyond the initial heats. During the subsequent edition in Tokyo, she narrowly missed securing a spot on the podium, finishing fourth.

After experiencing Olympic disappointments, she bounced back by winning the world title and setting a new world record the very next year. She then went on to add two more Diamond League titles to her impressive collection of achievements.