Diamond League: Amusan impresses again with season’s best in Xiamen

Nigeria’s world record holder Tobi Amusan continued her impressive build-up to the 2026 global athletics season after finishing second in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Xiamen Diamond League in China on Saturday.

Amusan clocked a swift season’s best time of 12.28 seconds to place second in a high-quality final contested by some of the world’s leading sprint hurdlers.

American star Masai Russell won the race in an Area Record time of 12.14 seconds, while Bahamian athlete Devynne Charlton finished third after setting a national record of 12.37 seconds.

For Amusan, the performance marked another major step forward in her early-season form after she lowered her previous season’s best from 12.41 seconds to 12.28 seconds in Xiamen.

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The Nigerian hurdler’s latest outing also highlighted her growing sharpness on the track, with the 12.28 seconds standing as her fourth fastest time ever in the women’s 100m hurdles.

Competing with a legal wind reading of +0.5 m/s, Amusan looked increasingly comfortable throughout the race and once again proved capable of matching the world’s very best athletes.

Her latest performance came barely a week after she opened her Diamond League campaign with an impressive third-place finish in Shanghai.

In that race, Russell had also claimed victory in a meeting record and world-leading time of 12.25 seconds, while Charlton finished second in 12.38 seconds, with Amusan placing third in 12.41 seconds.

Despite the demanding schedule and intercontinental travel following her successful outing at the African Senior Athletics Championships in Ghana, the Nigerian star has continued to deliver elite-level performances on the international circuit.

Before arriving in China for the Diamond League meetings, Amusan had won gold in the women’s 100m hurdles at the African Championships in Accra, extending her dominance on the continent and securing Nigeria’s first gold medal at the competition.

Her recent performances in Shanghai and Xiamen further underline her consistency at the highest level as preparations intensify ahead of the major championships later in the year.

Amusan is expected to defend her Commonwealth Games title in July, where she will attempt to become the first Nigerian track and field athlete to complete a hat-trick of victories in the event.

The Nigerian star is also targeting qualification for the inaugural Ultimate Championships in August, with automatic qualification available either through winning the Diamond League title or finishing the season as the world number one in the women’s 100m hurdles.

On his part, Chukwuebuka Enekwechi came 5th in the men’s Shot Put at the Xiamen Diamond League with a Season’s Best (SB) throw of 21.14m.

Rajinda Campbell set a new Jamaican National Record of 22.34m to comfortably win the men’s Shot Put event.

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