Ex-Nigeria Olympian, Henry Amike expects Tobi Amusan’s recent suspension saga by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) not to be an obstacle to her performance but rather tip her to victory at the ongoing 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
The panel of the Disciplinary Tribunal, sometime earlier this month, by majority decision discovered that Amusan had not committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) of three Whereabouts Failures within 12 months.
With the Nigerian athlete out to defend her record title at the National Athletics Centre in the capital city of Hungary, however, Amike in an exclusive interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) stated that Amusan’s travail could motivate her to break her record and set a new world time.
“As athletes, we react to things differently. Her recent travail could encourage her to clock a good time and break her record.
“The effect of the recent drama is more psychological than physical. Once her mind can take control of the fact that she deserves to be in Hungary, she will pull through.
“Not every trauma brings out the negative. I hope she has the support that she needs at the moment because that will go a long way; she needs good people that believe in her around her at the moment,” he said.