Tobi Amusan has added another international podium finish to her decorated career, taking silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday.
The Nigerian crossed the finish line in 12.34 seconds to secure $75,000 in prize money, finishing behind American Masai Russell, who stormed to victory in 12.22 seconds and collected the $150,000 winner’s purse.
For Amusan, the final was the culmination of a demanding route through the championship. She had booked her place in the medal race after running 12.49 seconds to finish second in her semi-final.
Devynne Charlton won that semi-final in 12.45 seconds, edging Amusan by four hundredths of a second. But the Bahamian could not carry that advantage into the final, eventually finishing fourth in 12.40 seconds.
Russell, meanwhile, maintained the momentum that had seen her record the fastest semi-final time, producing another commanding performance when the medals were at stake.
The result also brought Amusan’s season-long battle with Russell into sharper focus.
Friday’s final marked the third consecutive occasion this season on which Russell has finished ahead of the Nigerian. Their rivalry reached a defining moment at the Zurich Diamond League, where Russell not only defeated Amusan but also ended her four-year reign as the world-record holder.
At the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, Russell clocked a stunning 12.09 seconds, taking three hundredths of a second off Amusan’s 12.12-second world record.
Amusan had set that mark in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and held the world record for four years before Russell’s breakthrough.
Russell also finished ahead of Amusan at the Diamond League Final in Brussels, where the Nigerian placed fourth.
Yet, even with the world record now under new ownership and Russell establishing herself as the athlete to beat, Amusan’s consistency at the summit of global hurdles remains unbeatable.
Her silver medal in Budapest closes the season with another major international honour and a $75,000 reward, reinforcing the Nigerian hurdler’s enduring place among the elite of world athletics.
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