TOBI AMUSAN CHASES ALOZIE’S 60MH AFRICAN RECORD TO LIEVIN

Reigning African Games 100m hurdles champion and record holder, Tobiloba Amusan will resume her chase for compatriot, Glory Alozie’s African 60m hurdles record this evening at the Meeting Hauts-de-France Pas-de-Calais in Lievin, the second World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting of 2021. The petitite Nigerian is among a star-studded cast of sprint hurdlers confirmed for the race and the reigning Commonwealth Games 100m hurdles champion will be hoping the strong field can propel her to run faster than the 7.84 seconds personal best she set in Karlsruhe, Germany last year to enable her break the second of three African records held by Alozie. Alozie holds the fastest time (7.82 seconds) in the event in Africa and Amusan came agonisingly close to breaking it in Karlsruhe last year, barely four months after running 12.68 seconds to smash the 12.74 seconds African Games record set by the former World and Olympics 100m hurdles silver medallist in 1999. Amusan has not raced inside 7.90 seconds this year and will have to break it for the fifth time in her career this evening before harbouring any thought of erasing Alozie’s indoor record from the record books. With American hurdler Christina Clemons, the second fastest woman (7.88 seconds) so far this season leading a field of top sprint hurdlers which also include 2019 European indoor champion in Glasgow, Nadine Visser and Nooralotta Neziri, the Finish woman who ran 7.92 seconds to win in Karlsruhe at the end of January, Amusan will be buoyed by her win at the Meeting Metz Moselle Athlelor, L’Anneau-Halle d’athlétisme de Metz,in Metz,France three days ago to make a successful attempt at the 7.82 seconds African record.