Nigeria's World Champion Tobi Amusan Makes Stunning Revelation of How Father Nearly Ended Her Sprint Dreams

• Tobi Amusan hogged the headlines by becoming the first Nigerian to win a World Athletics Championship gold
• The 100m hurdler also set a new world record with a time of 12.12s after breaking Kendra Harrison's 2016 record
• Tobi Amusan has revealed that her journey to becoming a world champion was almost crashed by her father

World 100m hurdling champion, Tobi Amusan, has disclosed how her father nearly ended her running career as a young girl growing up in Nigeria.

Amusan made history on Sunday by becoming the first Nigerian to win a World Athletics Championship gold, going on to set a new world record.

However, in an interview with the BBC, Amusan revealed that her mother had to shield her from her dad, who burnt her training kit after finding out she avoided church to train.

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"My parents are both teachers, they are strict disciplinarians," Amusan told BBC Sport Africa.

"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.

"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 an out-of-state competition. That's where it all started.

"My dad got really mad one time 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."

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Despite the hindrance, the 25-year-old persevered to see her dreams of becoming a world champion become a reality.

Tobi Amusan in tears after winning World Athletics Championships 100m hurdle

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Tobi Amusan made history by becoming the first Nigerian to win a gold medal at the World Athletics Championships.

The 100m hurdles sprinter stormed to victory in the finals, setting a world record of 12.12s to become the first Nigerian to win a medal in Oregon.

In a video posted on social media, an excited Amusan broke down in tears as the national anthem of Nigeria was recited during the prize presentation.