Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan not only clinched silver in the women’s 100 metres hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Monday, but also walked away with a combined $55,000 (N82.5 million) in prize money and kit bonuses.
The 28-year-old, who is Nigeria’s only gold medallist at the showpiece event, stormed to second place when she clocked 12.29s in a race that saw Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji stun the field to win gold in a new national record of 12.24s.
American Grace Stark picked up the bronze medal in 12.34s, while her compatriot Masai Russell narrowly missed the podium in 12.44s after clipping several hurdles.
Beyond the podium, Amusan’s performance also delivered a substantial financial windfall.
World Athletics confirmed before the start of the competition that the total prize money on offer in Tokyo stood at $8,498,000, with significant allocations across all individual and relay events.
For individual athletes, the prize structure is as follows: $70,000 for gold, $35,000 for silver, $22,000 for bronze, $16,000 for fourth, $11,000 for fifth, $7000 for sixth, $6000 for seventh, and $5000 for eighth.
Amusan’s second-place finish, therefore, guarantees her $35,000 (N52,549,191.45 at the current exchange rate of N1,501.41 to $1).
In addition, Hiracer, Nigeria’s official kit supplier for Tokyo 2025, pledged podium bonuses to athletes before the championships began.
According to the Athletics Federation of Nigeria, the company, which is also kitting 20 countries including Algeria, Zambia, Tunisia, Uzbekistan and Myanmar, will give gold medallists an extra $30,000, silver medallists $20,000, and bronze medallists $10,000.
The AFN president, Tonobok Okowa, confirmed the arrangement to The PUNCH.
‘This company said they would give any gold medallist $30,000, silver medallist $20,000, and bronze medallist $10,000. So they should concentrate, work hard and try to win, and then they will win their money’, he stated.
By virtue of finishing second in Tokyo, Amusan also takes home Hiracer’s silver bonus of $20,000 (N30,028,109.40).
Combined with her World Athletics prize money, the Ogun State-born athlete’s total haul rises to $55,000 (N82,577,300.85).
It was another demonstration of Amusan’s consistency at the highest level, as she followed up her world record and gold medal-winning run of 12.12s in Eugene 2022 with yet another medal performance on the global stage.
She had earlier looked in command during the semi-finals, winning her race in 12.36s to enter the final as one of the favourites.
Although she could not match Kambundji’s late surge, the silver represents Nigeria’s 12th medal in the history of the World Championships, and it reinforces Amusan’s place as a national icon.
On the track, the final was one of the most competitive in recent memory, with Kambundji producing the race of her life to beat a star-studded field. Her winning time of 12.24s not only set a new Swiss record but also announced her as a force on the global stage, as she eclipsed the likes of Amusan, Stark and Russell.
Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska was fifth in 12.49s, just ahead of Bahamian Devynne Charlton who recorded the same time. Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, the defending champion from Budapest 2023, finished seventh in 12.53s, while Nadine Visser of the Netherlands closed out the field in 12.56s.
The silver may not have been the repeat of Amusan 2022 triumph, but it further cements her position among the world’s elite hurdlers.
