By Rosemary Ugiomoh
Amusan Runs Season’s Best 12.28s for Silver in Xiamen as Russell Sets New Area Record
Tobi Amusan showed she’s hitting form at the right time, clocking a season’s best 12.28s to take second in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Xiamen Diamond League on Saturday.
The Nigerian world record holder shaved 0.13s off her mark from Shanghai last week, posting the fourth-fastest legal time of her career. But the night belonged to Masai Russell. The American Olympic champion exploded to a lifetime best of 12.14s, taking the win and breaking both the Diamond League record and the North American area record.
Russell’s run made her the fastest woman over the barriers this year and put her just 0.02s off Amusan’s world record of 12.12s, set in Eugene in 2022.
Amusan, running from lane five, didn’t get the cleanest start and found herself behind Russell and Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas in the early stages. True to form, she built into the race and powered through the final three hurdles to pull clear of Charlton and lock up silver.
Charlton was third in 12.37s, a new Bahamian national record. Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds took fourth in a season’s best 12.52s.
After her near-record run, Russell said faster times are coming as the season builds toward championships.
“I’ve been saying all year that I’m going to break the world record,” she said. “I don’t know when it’s going to come, but I keep getting closer and closer. Once we back off training and get into championship season, we’ll see some even crazier times.”
For Amusan, the 12.28s confirms she’s trending upward as the outdoor circuit heats up.
