“We Die Here” — Tobi Amusan Reveals Mindset Behind Ultimate Championship Silver
Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan has revealed the determined mindset that helped her secure a silver medal in the women’s 100m hurdles at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary.
The former world record-holder clocked 12.34 seconds to finish second behind American Masai Russell, who claimed gold in 12.22 seconds, while the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser took bronze in 12.39 seconds.
For Amusan, the silver medal represented a strong response after a difficult period that had tested her physically and mentally.
Speaking to Making of Champions after the final, the Amusan admitted that her season had not followed the smooth path she initially anticipated.
“First, God is good,” Amusan said.
“What started off as an amazing season, in between it had some hiccups here and there. I’m not a robot, you know. The body did shut down at a point.”
Despite the setbacks, the 29-year-old hurdler said she remained committed to rebuilding herself and preparing for another major challenge.
‘We Die Here’
Amusan revealed that she entered Friday’s final with a simple but powerful message to herself.
“Coming into this championship, my mindset going to the line was, ‘We die here,’ and I just kept telling myself I have to give it my all,” she said.
The Nigerian has built a reputation for fighting until the final metres of a race, and that mentality was again evident in Budapest as she battled among the world’s best hurdlers.
Amusan said she initially struggled to process the result before realising that she had secured second place.
“I looked up and I saw the second-place finish. I was like, look, I can’t complain. God is good,” she said.
Family, Coach Helped Revive Her Confidence
The silver medal came after a challenging stretch of competitions for Amusan.
She finished third at the Commonwealth Games before Russell broke her long-standing 100m hurdles world record with a sensational 12.09 seconds in Zurich. Amusan subsequently finished fourth at the Diamond League Final.
The setbacks, she admitted, were difficult to handle.
“It was very rough. It was very rough,” Amusan said.
However, she credited her family, mentor, coach and boyfriend with helping her regain her confidence and approach the Ultimate Championship with a renewed mindset.
“To my family, to my mentor, to my coach, to my boyfriend, this brought life back into me,” she said.
Amusan explained that the focus before the final was to forget the disappointments of recent weeks and compete without being weighed down by the past.
“This morning it was all about putting the past behind you and just going free. And those few sentences that I got here and there got me through the finish line today,” she added.
‘Women’s Hurdles Will Be Bloody’
With the women’s 100m hurdles becoming increasingly competitive, Amusan expects an even tougher battle when the athletes return for next season.
“We have amazing girls. Look, we compete against each other every track meet. We don’t duck,” she said.
“We don’t know what next year is going to bring, but whatever you see next year is what you get.”
Amusan believes the event is becoming more competitive with every passing season.
“The women’s hurdles, it’s just getting scarier every damn year. Next year, I do not know what’s going to happen, but it’s going to be bloody,” she said.
World Record Still Within Reach
Despite losing her world record to Russell earlier this season, Amusan remains hopeful of reclaiming the mark in the future.
The Nigerian, however, insisted that she would not allow the record to overshadow what has otherwise been a significant season.
“Trust me, this year was going great, and I’m not going to be an ingrate to say God hasn’t been faithful,” she said.
“We’ve had our ups and downs, but through it all, even when I don’t see it, even when everyone doesn’t see it, God is still working.”
Amusan added that her focus would now turn towards finishing the season strongly before taking a break and beginning preparations for 2027.
“Next year, you never know,” she concluded.
Amusan’s silver medal provides Nigeria with another podium finish at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship and marks a determined response from the Nigerian hurdler after a turbulent run of results in recent weeks.
