Budapest 2023: Favourite Amusan begins title defense Tuesday evening

Team Nigeria hurdler Tobi Amusan will begin her title defence in the ongoing World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary Tuesday evening.

The race starts at 6:12 pm, according to the event schedule of the championship.

Amusan was cleared to defend her title last Thursday by an Independent Panel following the suspension by AIU for missing three whereabouts tests in 12 months.

The 26-year-old will be running in lane four and face stiff competition from Olympic bronze medal winner Megan Tapper of Jamaica in the fifth and final heat of the first round.

Other hurdlers competing in heat five are Maayke Tjin-a-lim, Michelle Jenneke, Yumi Tanaka, Natalia Christofi, Ebony Morrison, and Nika Glojnaric

At this stage last year, Amusan started her remarkable season with 12.40secs in her heat to set a new African record, before posting a 12.12secs to surpass a world record set by Kendra Harrison’s 12.20sec in 2016 on her way to claiming the 100m hurdles title at the World Championships in Oregon, USA.

Amusan then completed her astonishing run with a historic gold medal in the final, running a wind-aided 12.06secs to become the first Nigerian world outdoor champion.

However, Amusan was provisionally suspended last month for missing her whereabouts tests, sparking fears that she might not compete in Budapest.