Tobi Amusan is already approaching the incredible ghost border – “I couldn’t imagine that it would even be talked about”

The athletics world gasped when the Nigerian sprinter Tobi Amusan reached a dizzying pace on the final day of the World Championships in Oregon. Amusan already ran the world record 12.12 in the semi-finals and squeezed an even harder time 12.06 in the final. In the final, the tailwind was 2.5 meters per second, so the extreme time was not statistically valid.

Experienced hurdler coach Jussi Ihamäki is confused by how the 12-second time limit, which was considered completely unattainable, is now already within the limits of possibilities.

– I could not have expected such wild times. Before last night, I couldn’t imagine that there would even be talk of whether someone could break the 12-second mark. This came as a complete shock to everyone, including the runner himself, Ihamäki is amazed.

Ihamäki points out that the final shootout that followed the full-hit run of the semifinals showed Amusan’s mental toughness.

– He must have felt a lot of mental pressure after making such a result. There was only an hour and a half to recover for the final, it was really a feat that he was able to run even harder in the final than in the semis.

In the women’s 100-meter fences, the fence height is 83.8 centimeters, while in the men’s 110-meter fences, the fence height is 106.7 centimeters.

– It is often said that women do not need technology in the same way as men, because the fences are at such a low height. But women also need to know how to use strength and speed, says Ihamäki.

But how were the times that Amusan ran possible? Needless to say, the runs were technically very skillful performances.

– The technology fell into place. It is worth paying attention to Amusan’s forehand work. When everything falls into place, the forehand actually only moves from top to bottom, almost like running. You can’t do that unless all the other technical aspects of running are in order, Ihamäki describes.

The reaction times did not yet foreshadow what kind of progress would be in store.

– He didn’t get any top reactions, the acceleration to the first fence was not perfect in either run. The fences didn’t slow him down, his pace only accelerated up to 60 meters. I calculated from the fence intervals that Amusan was able to keep his run together until the end, Ihamäki observed.

– There were no big differences in the runs, but in the final he was able to pull even more aggressively. Of course, he had to be more precise in the semi-final run, maybe he loosened up a bit at the end, Ihamäki said.

In the final, the time of the semi-finals improved by another six hundredths.

– The run was even more aggressive from the fourth to the eighth fence. He could pull the fences even harder. The effort and working with the hands were more effective, the biggest difference to the others came from the middle forward, Ihamäki compares.

Confusion has been caused by the fact that Tobi Amusan wore spikes designed for endurance running during his ME time. The spikes have been developed above all for 5,000 and 10,000 meter runs, but they work excellently for fast distances as well.

Ihamäki sees that a bigger halo has arisen in the public eye than was necessary.

– Both pickaxes have many of the same features. As far as I understand, spikes designed for endurance running have more support on the heel side. That’s not a bad thing in hurdles either, Ihamäki thinks.

According to Ihamäki, Eugene’s unholy athletics track was not particularly fast.

– I don’t think the track was exceptionally fast. But it’s amazing how the die-hards just light up when they’ve been aiming for one specific race day all year.

Several world records were set at the World Championships in Oregon, but Ihamäki raises Amusan’s ME bet as the most exciting moment of the entire Games.

– Both of Amusan’s runs, both the semi-final and the final, were big bangs. This kind of defiance of the 12-second limit will become number one, Ihamäki enthuses.