JUST IN: Amusan retains Diamond League crown with new record
Tobiloba Amusan of Nigeria successfully defended her Diamond League title on Thursday, setting a new Meet Record of 12.29s in Zurich.
Kendra Harrison of the United States and Britany Anderson of Jamaica finished second and third, respectively, behind the unstoppable Nigerian hurdler.
While Amusan’s win of the Diamond League trophy last year came as a surprise, she was a firm favourite this term after a string of spectacular performances around the world.
And Amusan, the reigning Commonwealth and World 100m hurdles champion, did not disappoint, winning the final major global title of the outdoor season despite a strong challenge from her arch rivals.
It was from Zurich last year that Amusan reached new heights, and she has not looked back.
Last year, the Nigerian hurdler began her historic run on the track by setting a new African record of 12.42 seconds to win the 100m hurdles in Zurich.
She became the first Nigerian athlete to win a Diamond League discipline in the final and be crowned Diamond League champion for the year because of this accomplishment.
After that historic run in Zurich last September, the 25-year-old has continued to improve with each race she has entered.
She began 2022 by successfully defending her African Championships title in Mauritius in early June, before travelling to Paris to break her African record of 12.42 seconds.
Amusan ran 12.41 seconds at the Diamond League meeting in Paris before storming Edo City in Nigeria to break Angela Atede’s 1997 Nigerian Championships record of 12.63 seconds. The reigning African champion ran 12.58 seconds to add the championship record to her collection before becoming a legend on the world’s biggest stage.
Amusan was one of the World Championships’ biggest surprises when she breezed to a world record of 12.12 seconds in the semifinals of the 100m hurdles, then won gold with a wind-assisted 12.06 seconds in the final.
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