The world’s fastest woman in the 100-meter hurdles, Tobi Amusan, has shared the strategies she used to dominate the track last year.

Amusan, 25, won the gold medal in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2022 World Championships and established the current world record of 12.12 seconds, and became the first Nigerian to win a world championship in an athletics event.

She revealed that she works hard and psychologically prepares herself before every race, noting that it helps her stay focused, in a video interview with Justin Tuckey.

“We put our bodies through six hours of training every day for six days a week. And you can be the fittest person in a race and mentally you just get distracted by the other runners on the tracks,” Amusan explained.

“A few moments of that ruin everything. And with my kind of event, you need 100 per cent focus.

“So, the mental part is just as important, if not more, because you have done the work by training hard and now you show up at the track. Sometimes, it’s not about who is the toughest. I have been in every championship finals and it’s not about the toughest, but who wants it and can relax and execute in most of the race scenarios.

“Most times when I train, I do my little talking in my head to prepare myself mentally. What I do in training is what I do on the tracks. So, when you see me out there, I am not crazy, I do this every day, especially when I have lots of hurdle practices.

“I say to myself, ‘you are the best, you have to do it.’ That self-affirmation, like talking in your head, kind of gets you going, but the time you get on the track, I know what to say to calm myself down and not put myself under unnecessary pressure. It’s really important to be mentally tough.”