Nigeria’s sprint hurdles superstar Tobi Amusan delivered another brilliant performance on Monday, capturing silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The 28-year-old world record holder crossed the line in 12.29 seconds, finishing just behind Switzerland’s breakout star Ditaji Kambundji, who stunned the field with a Swiss national record of 12.24 seconds to claim her country’s first-ever world title in the event.
America’s Grace Stark rounded out the podium with bronze in 12.34 seconds, while her teammate Masai Russell missed out on a medal after a slow start left her fourth in 12.44 seconds.
The race saw Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska tie her season-best 12.49 for fifth place, edging out Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton on the same time.
Defending champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica could only manage seventh in 12.53, with Netherlands’ Nadine Visser eighth in 12.56.
Amusan had looked in commanding form during the semi-finals, cruising to victory in her heat with 12.36 seconds ahead of Visser and Skrzyszowska.
Despite getting out of the blocks quickly in the final, she couldn’t match Kambundji’s explosive finish.
This latest medal brings Nigeria’s World Championships tally to 12 and reinforces Amusan’s status as one of the country’s all-time athletic greats.
The hurdles specialist first shocked the world in 2022 at Eugene, Oregon, becoming Nigeria’s inaugural world athletics champion.
Her semi-final world record of 12.12 seconds remains untouched, followed by a dominant gold medal performance.
After a tough 2023 season where eligibility issues hampered her preparation and she finished sixth in Budapest, Amusan bounced back strong in 2024.
She successfully defended her African Championships title before this silver medal performance in Tokyo.
