Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan missed out on the podium at the Diamond League final in Brussels on Saturday as American hurdler Masai Russell secured the women’s 100m hurdles crown.
Russell produced a stunning performance, clocking a meet-record 12.20 seconds to claim the title, while Amusan crossed the finish line in 12.54 seconds to settle for fourth.
Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton finished second in 12.33 seconds, setting a new national record, while Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds took third in 12.43 seconds, her season’s best.
The Brussels final attracted considerable attention because it was Russell’s first race since she broke Amusan’s world record in Zurich.
Russell had clocked 12.09 seconds in Zurich to erase Amusan’s previous world mark by three-hundredths of a second.
The American’s performance also made her the first woman to run under 12 seconds in the 100m hurdles.
Charlton, the world indoor champion, and Dutch hurdler Nadine Visser were among the other athletes expected to challenge for the title, while Amusan entered the race hoping to return to the top of the event.
The Nigerian had entered the final in good form after winning the Grand Prix Brescia in Italy on August 31.
She posted 12.56 seconds despite facing a strong headwind, finishing ahead of American Alaysha Johnson and Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent.
That victory followed her second-place finish behind Russell in Zurich, where Amusan ran a season’s best 12.23 seconds.
Despite missing out in Brussels, Amusan remains one of the most successful athletes in Diamond League history, having won the 100m hurdles title three times in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
She held the world record for four years after running 12.12 seconds in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Amusan subsequently won the world championship final in 12.06 seconds, but the performance could not be recognised as a world record because of an excessive tailwind.
The women’s 100m hurdles was one of the major attractions at the Diamond League finale in Brussels, which brought together several Olympic champions and world record holders.
The winners of events contested at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship also earned automatic qualification for next week’s $10 million World Athletics Ultimate Championship.
