America’s Russell Breaks Amusan’s World Record

American Olympic champion Masai Russell has broken Tobi Amusan’s world record in the women’s 100m hurdles, ending the Nigerian athlete’s four-year reign in the event.

Russell produced a stunning performance at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday, clocking 12.09 seconds to take three hundredths of a second off Amusan’s previous world record of 12.12 seconds.

Amusan finished second in the race with a time of 12.23 seconds.

The Nigerian had held the world record since 2022, when she stormed to 12.12 seconds in the semi-finals of the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, United States.

Amusan subsequently won the final in 12.06 seconds. However, the performance was not recognised as a world record because of excessive tailwind.

Her 12.12-second semi-final run nevertheless established her as the world’s fastest woman over the distance and remained the benchmark for four years.

Russell had previously threatened Amusan’s record earlier this year when she clocked 12.14 seconds at the Xiamen Diamond League in May. The performance made her the second-fastest woman in history at the time.

The American has now gone a step further in Zurich, becoming the first woman to officially run faster than Amusan’s 12.12-second world record.

Russell’s achievement represents a significant moment in the history of the women’s 100m hurdles and marks the end of Amusan’s long-standing dominance at the top of the event.

Despite losing her world record, Amusan remains one of Nigeria’s most successful track and field athletes. Her historic performance in 2022 established her as the first Nigerian athlete to set an individual senior world record in athletics.

Russell’s record-breaking run is also expected to intensify competition in the women’s 100m hurdles, with the world’s leading athletes now chasing the new benchmark of 12.09 seconds.

Amusan’s second-place finish in Zurich means she remains among the elite contenders in the event, while Russell has now written her name into athletics history with one of the fastest hurdles performances ever recorded.