Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan earned a silver medal in the women’s 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, on Monday, as Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji stunned the competition with a record-breaking performance to take gold.
Kambundji, 23, delivered the race of her life, crossing the line in 12.24 seconds to break her national record and secure Switzerland’s first-ever world title in the event.
Amusan, the reigning world record holder and 2022 champion, was a close second with a time of 12.29s, marking Nigeria’s twelfth all-time medal at the World Championships.
The bronze medal went to the United States’ Grace Stark, who posted 12.34s. Fellow American Masai Russell came in fourth, clocking 12.44s after a notably slow start, registering the slowest reaction time in the race at 0.240 seconds.
Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska tied her season-best with 12.49s for fifth place, narrowly ahead of Devynne Charlton of The Bahamas, who recorded the same time. Defending champion Danielle Williams of Jamaica finished seventh in 12.53s, while Dutch athlete Nadine Visser rounded out the finalists in eighth, clocking 12.56s.
Earlier in the day, Amusan had shown formidable form in the semi-finals, where she won her heat in 12.36s ahead of Visser and Skrzyszowska, raising hopes for a successful title defense. However, despite a quick start in the final, she couldn’t fend off Kambundji’s blistering finish.
At 28, Amusan adds a silver to her illustrious resume, following her historic 2022 gold in Eugene, where she set the current world record of 12.12 seconds.
