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Kendra Harrison has unmistakably signaled her readiness to finally secure a major championship victory. She surged to a world-leading time of 12.24 seconds in her 100m hurdles heat during the World Athletics Championships held in Budapest on Tuesday.
Harrison’s remarkable performance will undoubtedly have captured the attention of her competitors, particularly Tobi Amusan, the athlete who now holds the world record and serves as the reigning champion.
Tobi Amusan, representing Nigeria, received the approval to participate in the championships just last week, following the resolution of an alleged violation of the dope-testing whereabouts rule. Despite the tight timeline, the 26-year-old breezed through the preliminary rounds, securing her spot in Wednesday’s semi-finals with a relaxed 12.48-second finish. Notably, she outpaced Olympic bronze medalist Megan Tapper from Jamaica.
Expressing her gratitude, Amusan stated, “I’m truly appreciative to be here in Budapest, where I can showcase my abilities and compete using my skills.”
It hasn’t been the best journey, but I’m here.
“I endeavored to maintain a sense of calm amidst all the uncertainties and faithfully follow my coach’s guidance. And now, I find myself standing here.”
Harrison emerged as a standout figure, determined to transform two silver medals (achieved at the postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and the 2019 World Championships) into coveted gold.
The 30-year-old American athlete missed her personal best by a mere three hundredths of a second, a record she had set when she shattered the world record in London back in 2016.
I’m genuinely thrilled about this run,” exclaimed Harrison.
“I’m not entirely sure how I managed it; everything seemed a bit blurry.
“I wasn’t fully aware of my speed potential, but my coach encouraged me to attack each round aggressively, giving my all.”
Following closely was Devynne Charlton, setting a new Bahamas record, with Danielle Williams from Jamaica and Cindy Sember from Britain securing the third and fourth spots with their season’s best performances.”
