Nigeria's star athlete, Tobi Amusan, commenced her campaign at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo with a commanding victory in the women’s 100m hurdles heat on Sunday. Amusan, the defending champion from the 2022 edition in Oregon and a world record holder with a time of 12.12 seconds set in 2022, posted an impressive time of 12.53 seconds to win her heat comfortably. She outpaced formidable competitors, including the Bahamas' Devynne Charlton, who finished second in 12.69 seconds, and Italy's Elena Carraro, who secured third place in 12.86 seconds.

Amusan's dominant performance ensured her comfortable advancement to the semi-finals. Despite registering the fifth-best reaction time at the start, she quickly asserted her lead and maintained control throughout the race. She has been placed in Heat 2 for the semi-final lineup, where she is set to compete against the Netherlands' Nadine Visser, who is ranked as the third-best 100m women’s hurdler globally. The qualification criteria for the final stipulate that the top two athletes from each of the three semi-final heats, along with two athletes boasting the best times across all three heats, will progress.

While Amusan kept Nigeria's medal hopes alive, other Nigerian athletes faced challenges. In the hammer throw event on Sunday morning, Oyesade Olatoye, a US-born athlete who switched allegiance to Nigeria in 2019, unfortunately failed to advance to the final. Olatoye recorded her best throw of 68.82 meters on her third attempt, improving from her initial 66.78-meter throw. However, this was insufficient, as she finished 10th in Category A of the qualification round, ending her participation in the championships. Following Olatoye's elimination, Amusan stands as Nigeria’s last female representative at the championships.

Looking ahead, Nigeria's presence in the men's events continues with Kanyinsola Ajayi and Israel Okon, who are scheduled to feature in the men’s 100m semi-finals later on Sunday. Their performances will be crucial as Nigeria pushes for more podium finishes at the prestigious Tokyo championships.