Masai Russell Ends Tobi Amusan’s Four-Year World Record Reign in Zurich

American Olympic champion Masai Russell has shattered Tobi Amusan’s world record in the women’s 100m hurdles, bringing an end to the Nigerian athlete’s four-year reign at the top of the event.

Russell produced a sensational performance at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday, clocking 12.09 seconds to set a new world record at the Letzigrund Stadium.

Her time was three hundredths of a second faster than Amusan’s previous world record of 12.12 seconds, which the Nigerian set during the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Amusan, who was competing against Russell in the star-studded Zurich race, finished second in a season-best 12.23 seconds, while Dutch hurdler Nadine Visser placed third in 12.34 seconds, also recording a season best.

The Nigerian made a strong start and appeared competitive during the early stages of the race.

However, Russell began to establish a significant advantage from around the 40-metre mark and maintained her momentum through the final hurdles to cross the line in record-breaking fashion.

Amusan’s previous world record had stood since July 2022. At the World Championships in Eugene, she clocked 12.12 seconds in the semi-final to rewrite the world record.

She went on to run an even faster 12.06 seconds in the final, but the performance could not be recognised as a world record because the race was assisted by excessive tailwind.

Russell had already shown that Amusan’s record was within her reach earlier this season. In May, she ran 12.14 seconds at the Xiamen Diamond League, making her the second-fastest woman in history over the distance at the time.

Her latest 12.09-second performance in Zurich has now moved her to the top of the all-time rankings and means she owns two of the three fastest legal times ever recorded in the women’s 100m hurdles.

The rivalry between Russell and Amusan is unlikely to end in Zurich, as both athletes are expected to meet again at the Diamond League Final in Brussels, Belgium, scheduled for September 4 and 5.

Meanwhile, another world record was broken in Zurich, with Brazil’s Alison dos Santos producing a remarkable performance in the men’s 400m hurdles.
Dos Santos clocked 45.80 seconds to break Karsten Warholm’s previous world record of 45.94 seconds, set in 2021.

Warholm finished a distant second in 46.69 seconds.
The Brazilian, a Tokyo 2025 silver medallist, had enjoyed an unbeaten season before the Zurich meeting, although few expected him to threaten Warholm’s long-standing record.

Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel also impressed in the race, finishing third in 47.50 seconds.

The result marked an improvement on his fourth-place finish at the Silesia Diamond League the previous week.

With the Zurich meeting now concluded, the athletics season moves towards two major events.

The Diamond League Final will take place in Brussels from September 4 to 5, while the World Athletics Ultimate Championship is scheduled to hold in Budapest, Hungary, later in September.

For Amusan, the focus will now shift to responding to Russell’s historic performance, with another opportunity to reclaim her position among the world’s leading hurdlers expected in Brussels.

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