Tobi Amusan's 2026: African gold, Diamond League wins and a new rival in Masai Russell

Why this matters now

Tobi Amusan still holds the 100m hurdles world record of 12.12 seconds, set in the semi-final of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on the way to the world title. Four years on, she showed in 2026 that she can still win the big meetings. She also met a rival who made her work for every one.

How the season unfolded

A different start in Jamaica

Amusan opened her season over 200m rather than hurdles, finishing second at the Velocity Fest in Jamaica in a season's best of 23.25. Flat sprints early in the year are a common way to build speed, and it set up what followed.

African champion again in Accra

At the African Championships at the Legon Sports Stadium in Accra in May, Amusan won gold in the 100m hurdles. Zimbabwe's Ashley Miller took silver and fellow Nigerian Adaobi Tabugbo won bronze, so there were two Nigerians on the podium. The winning time was reported as 12.83, though the championships had problems with the timing system and Amusan said afterwards she did not know her official time during the race.

Diamond League wins in Rabat and Paris

On the Diamond League circuit, Amusan won in Rabat in 12.28, her first Diamond League win of the year. In Paris she won again in 12.28, catching Nadine Visser, who had been ahead early in the race, and pulling clear. Grace Stark was second in 12.38 and Alaysha Johnson third in 12.39.

A meet record in New Taipei

At the New Taipei Athletics Open, she won in 12.72, breaking the previous meet record of 12.80.

The rival: Masai Russell

In Xiamen, Amusan ran 12.28 and still finished second. The American Masai Russell won in 12.14, only two hundredths outside Amusan's world record. That one race tells you how the event has changed. For several seasons Amusan was the woman everyone else had to beat. In 2026, she was one of two.

This is not a story of decline. Running 12.28 three times in one season is elite hurdling. It is a story of a rival raising the standard, and that makes Amusan's races more interesting to watch than they have been for a while.

What makes her important

Amusan's world record changed how many Nigerians think about athletics. A Nigerian athlete set the standard for the whole world, not just Africa, and she has stayed at the top for four seasons. For younger hurdlers like Adaobi Tabugbo, who shared the podium with her in Accra, that example matters.

What to watch next

The question for 2027 is whether Amusan can find the extra tenth she needs to beat Russell in a final. Her strength has always been technique and rhythm over ten hurdles. If she can add early speed, the world record could come back into play.

For more Nigerian sport beyond football, read our piece on D'Tigress after Berlin.