Nigerian sprinter Oluwatobiloba Amusan became the first Nigerian athlete to win a World Athletics Championship gold as she powered to victory in the women’s 100m hurdles in Oregon on Sunday, breaking the World Record in both the semifinal and then again in the final.

Tobi Amusan, who had broken the world record in the semifinal where she clocked 12.12sec, went a step further in the final at Hayward Field in 12.06sec.

Sadly, her winning time will not be recognised as a world record, due to a strong following wind of 2.5 metres per second.

Jamaica’s Britany Anderson took silver in 12.23sec, while Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico claimed bronze in 12.23.

Amusan had produced a jaw-dropping world record in the semifinals, smashing the previous best mark of 12.20secs held by Keni Harrison of the United States since 2016.

“Honestly, I believe in my abilities but I was not expecting a world record at these championships,” Amusan said after her final victory. “The goal is always just to execute well and get the win. So the world record is a bonus. I knew I had it in me but I could not believe it when I saw it on the screen after the semis.

“Before the final, I just tried to stay calm and to do my best. I took a deep breath knowing that I have some goal to accomplish and it worked pretty good. I knew it was very fast but not this fast.”

Another Nigerian, Ese Brume also won a silver medal in the women’s long jump at the World Athletics Championship.

She placed second behind German Olympic champion Malaika Mihambo, who continued her dominance in the women’s long jump by soaring to a second successive World Championship gold with a final leap of 7.12 metres on Sunday (Monday morning Nigerian time).

The silver medal, achieved with a leap of 7.02m, was an improvement for Brume, who had won a bronze medal last time out at the World Championship.

Brazil’s Leticia Oro Melo took bronze with 6.89m.