Russell breaks Tobi Amusan’s 12:12s hurdles world record in Zurich
By Uzor Odigbo
American Olympic champion Masai Russell has ended Tobi Amusan’s four-year reign as the women’s 100m hurdles world-record holder after storming to a sensational 12.09 seconds at the Zurich Diamond League.
Russell’s stunning performance erased Amusan’s 12.12-second world record by three hundredths of a second, setting a new global benchmark in one of athletics’ most fiercely contested events.
Amusan, who set the previous record at the 2022 World Championships, finished third in Zurich in 12.23 seconds, her season’s best, while the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser clocked 12.34 seconds for second place.
The American’s breakthrough marks a major moment in the evolution of the women’s sprint hurdles, with Russell becoming the latest athlete to surpass a record that had stood since Amusan’s historic run in Eugene, Oregon.
Despite losing the world record, Amusan retains the African record with her 12.12-second mark, ensuring her place in the continental history books.
Russell’s 12.09 also adds another major achievement to the résumé of the Olympic champion, who has now firmly established herself as the new standard-bearer in the event.
Result:
Masai Russell 12.09s (World Record)
Nadine Visser 12.34s
Tobi Amusan 12.23s
