Record-breaking Tobi Amusan recounts how it all began for her during her struggles and the challenges she had faced with her parents who prioritized education over athletics. During her interview with BBC, Amosun said it got to a point her mum understood her dreams and would let her go for training and school competitions but in return, she will lie to her dad that she went to church programs.
Amusan during her interview with African BBC:
“My parents are both teachers, they are strict disciplinarians,”
“When you grow up in such a family, they feel you should focus on school. And being a female, they think you are going to go astray, lose focus and all of that.
“But because my mum saw what I didn’t see [in] myself, she felt she could give me a chance. And she kept telling me not to disappoint her.
“My mum would tell my dad I was going to church while I sneaked to practice, or tell him I was going to a school debate while I went to out-of-state competition. That’s where it all started.
“My dad got really mad once when he found out [I was running]. He burnt all my training gear and told my mum that’s the last time he wanted to see me in a stadium.”
“It has not sunk in yet, maybe the magnitude of what just happened will hit me later,” she said.
“I go out there and put 100% in every championship, and it’s just never enough. Every time, it’s a fourth-place finish.
“Then this time my 100% is not only a gold medal but a world record. Trusting myself just made everything easier. I’m thankful to the man above for keeping me healthy. When God says it’s your time, it’s your time.”
“I used to be on the soccer team, but I would be all over the place on the pitch,” Amusan said.
“My coach suggested I go try out on the track team and I became the fastest girl on the team, that’s how I got on the school relay team.”
