Tobi Amusan, born on April 27, 1997 in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, is a Nigerian athlete with a global professional number of 14,579,526. On November 8, 2016, she tweeted, “Unknown now, but soon, I will be unforgettable… “I will keep trying until I succeed.” She set the women’s world 100m hurdles record of 12.12 seconds on July 24, 2022. According to our analysis of her participation in various competitions between 2016 and 2022, her average running time was 17.45 seconds, while her winning time was 12.80 seconds. She mostly competed in the United States, Nigeria, and Germany. According to the consistency analysis, participation in the 100 and 60 meter hurdles paid off more than other categories.
This piece does not solely focus on describing her performances. Instead, it focuses on her winning tactics, from which current and future sports professionals could learn how to achieve their desired outcomes. From the interviews she gave to national and international newspapers after breaking the world record, our analyst chose a few of her thoughts. The thoughts are carefully placed in Robert Greene’s 2006 book The 33 Strategies of War. It is a book that provides offensive and defensive strategies for dealing with social and business conflicts.
Selected Thoughts and Emerged Strategies
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Tobi Amusan: “My coach taught me that when I walk into a room full of my rivals, I should look like I own the damn world record. She always reminds me that I’ve practised hard to trust myself and translate that aggressiveness onto the track.”
Emerged Strategy: Create a sense of urgency and desperation.
Tobi Amusan: “The goal was to come out and to win this gold,” Amusan said after the feat, adding, “I believe in my abilities but I was not expecting a world record at these championships. You know, the goal is always just to execute well and get the win. So, the world record is a bonus.”
Emerged Strategy: Take the line of least expectation
Tobi Amusan: “Breaking the African record was one of our mandates coming here; not just for our individual reasons but having an African record as a team is fantastic. We broke the record just two weeks ago and we did it here again.”
Emerged Strategy: Defeat them in detail
Tobi Amusan: “I came to this championship to defend my title, and I didn’t just defend it, but did it with a new Games record and I’m happy leaving the Commonwealth Games with another new African record to my name,”
Emerged Strategy: Defeat them in detail
“When I said we are going to win, I wasn’t playing because I knew we all had what it took to win, and we did it, not just breaking the record but passing the message.
Tobi Amusan: “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.”
Emerged Strategy: Control the dynamic
Exhibit 1: Number of Appearance per Competitions’ Location
Tobi Amusan: “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.”
Emerged Strategy: Pick your battles carefully
Tobi Amusan: “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.”
Emerged Strategy: Dominate while seem to submit
Exhibit 2: Trends of Running and Winning
Tobi Amusan: “I used to be on the soccer team, but I would be all over the place on the pitch.” “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.”
Emerged Strategy: Pick your battles carefully
Her Coach (Lacena Golding-Clarke): “At the Nigerian Olympic Trials, her parents’ earliest fear came true. Tobi felt the pain and disappointment that many athletes face competing in Nigeria. Tobi ran a blistering race in the 100ms Hurdles Final but the officials did not turn on the electronic timer.”
Emerged Strategy: Give your rivals enough rope to hang themselves
Tobi Amusan: “I called my coach, she told me that they know what I’m capable of. They saw it, even though they assumed that they did not time me, I know that you have that time in you. I want you to out to another track meter and prove to them that if they can’t record it at home, they will record it elsewhere.”
Emerged Strategy: Sow uncertainty and panic through acts of terror
Exhibit 3: Participation versus average time of running per location of competition
Tobi Amusan: “Y’all should meet my lovely coach and second mum, Coach Lacena Golding Clarke. “She recruited me while I was back in Nigeria to University of Texas, El Paso when I was running 14.20s and today is history for both of us. “She was also a world class hurdler during her active days; multiple finalists at the Olympics, World Championships and a Commonwealth Games Champion representing Jamaica.”
Emerged Strategy: Develop your fingertip feel
Exhibit 4: The Winning Streak
