BREAKING: America’s Russell breaks Amusan’s world record
August 27, 2026 8:54 pm
Olympic champion Masai Russell
Olympic champion Masai Russell has broken Tobi Amusan’s world record in the women’s 100m hurdles, ending the Nigerian’s four-year reign in the event, PUNCH Online reports.
Russell ran a stunning 12.09 seconds at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday, taking three hundredths of a second off Amusan’s previous world record of 12.12 seconds.
The American finished ahead of Amusan, who placed second in 12.23 seconds.
Before Russell’s record-breaking performance, Amusan had held the world record with a time of 12.12 seconds, which she ran in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA.
The Nigerian went on to win the final in a time of 12.06 seconds, but the winning time didn’t stand as a world record over exccessive tailwind.
Russell had come close to breaking the record earlier this year when she ran 12.14 seconds at the Xiamen Diamond League in May, making her the second-fastest woman ever in the event at the time.
The 12.09 run in Zurich now sees Russell become the first woman to go faster than Amusan’s mark.
Details later..
Abiodun, who reports Sports for PUNCH, covers different tiers of the Nigerian football league, the national teams, as well as cricket, in the last six years
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