Masai Russell don end Tobi Amusan four-year reign with new 100m hurdles world record for Zurich!

Reported by Musa Antiketu,| Journalist for Obaland magazine.

American Olympic champion Masai Russell don rewrite history of women 100 metres hurdles, as she break Nigerian star Tobi Amusan world record with correct 12.09 seconds for 2026 Zurich Diamond League on Thursday.

Russell performance don cut 0.03 seconds from Amusan previous world record of 12.12 seconds, wey she set for 2022 World Athletics Championships for Eugene, Oregon. Dis achievement don end Amusan four-year hold on the world record and place Russell for top of one of athletics most competitive events.

Di 26-year-old American run strong race for Zurich, she don establish herself among di leaders early before she accelerate well over di last hurdle. Her 12.09 seconds run happen under legal wind condition, make am be ratified world-record performance.

Russell enter di Zurich meeting as one of di leading contenders to challenge Amusan mark. Earlier for di 2026 season, she don show say she dey close to di record, including 12.14 seconds performance for di Xiamen Diamond League for May—just two hundredths of a second outside Amusan benchmark.

Di Diamond League self don identify Russell, Amusan and Switzerland Ditaji Kambundji as di leading contenders before di Zurich showdown. Russell don dey in exceptional form during di season, setting meeting records and dey close di gap on Amusan long-standing world mark.

For Nigeria, dis development mark di end of extraordinary chapter for Amusan career. Di Nigerian hurdler don establish her 12.12 seconds world record on July 24, 2022, during di World Championships for Eugene, where she later win di world title. Her record don become one of di defining achievements for African athletics and help cement her status as one of Nigeria most accomplished track-and-field athletes.

Amusan record dey particularly remarkable because she don produce even faster 12.06 seconds for di same 2022 championship semifinal. But dat performance get tailwind wey pass di allowable limit and so e no fit be ratified as world record. Her official 12.12 seconds remain di recognised global record until Russell breakthrough for Zurich.

Russell achievement also dey highlight di rapidly rising standard for women sprint hurdles. Di American Olympic champion don establish herself as one of di world fastest hurdlers, while Amusan still dey major force for di international circuit. Their rivalry don help produce some of di deepest competition di event don witness for recent years.

Di Zurich meeting don already dey shape up as landmark night for athletics before Russell record. Brazilian hurdler Alison dos Santos also don break di men 400m hurdles world record for di same meeting, create extraordinary double world-record evening for Zurich.

Russell 12.09 seconds now dey stand as di new women 100m hurdles world record, while Amusan 12.12 don become historic mark wey still dey among di fastest performances ever recorded for di discipline.

For African athletics and Nigerian sport, Amusan four-year reign go remain significant chapter. Her record don elevate Nigeria presence for di global athletics stage, and Russell breakthrough dey show how fiercely competitive di event don become.

As di athletics season dey progress, attention go now turn to whether Russell fit maintain her record-breaking form and whether Amusan and other elite hurdlers fit mount challenge to di new 12.09 seconds benchmark.