Diamond League: Amusan opens campaign with impressive third-place finish in Shanghai

Tobi Amusan continued her strong start to the 2026 athletics season after producing an impressive third-place finish in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Diamond League meeting in Shanghai, China.

The Nigerian world record holder clocked a season’s best time of 12.41 seconds in a high-quality final contested against some of the world’s leading sprint hurdlers.

American athlete Masai Russell won the race in a meeting record and world-leading time of 12.25 seconds, while Bahamian star Devynne Charlton finished second after setting a national record of 12.38 seconds.

Amusan’s performance stood out not only because of the quality of the field but also due to her demanding travel schedule ahead of the race.

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The Nigerian hurdler had only departed Ghana on Thursday after winning gold in the women’s 100m hurdles at the African Senior Athletics Championships in Accra before arriving in Shanghai on Friday for the Diamond League meeting.

Despite the long intercontinental journey, fatigue and limited recovery time, Amusan still delivered one of the fastest times of her season and remained competitive against a stacked international field.

Her latest performance further underlined her consistency at the elite level as she continues preparations for the major global championships later in the year.

The outing in Shanghai also built on her momentum from Ghana, where she secured Nigeria’s first gold medal at the African Championships after another commanding display in the sprint hurdles event.

Amusan’s victory in Accra extended her dominance on the African continent and added to her growing collection of continental titles in the women’s 100m hurdles.

In Shanghai, Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds finished fourth in 12.73 seconds, Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji placed fifth with a season’s best 12.82 seconds, while Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent came sixth in 12.98 seconds.

Chinese athlete Yanni Wu completed the field in seventh position with a season’s best 13.16 seconds.

Looking beyond Shanghai, Amusan is set to defend her Commonwealth Games title in July, with the ambition of becoming the first Nigerian track and field athlete to complete a hat-trick of victories in the event.

She will also be eyeing qualification for the inaugural Ultimate Championships in August, a berth she can secure either by winning the Diamond League title or by ending the season ranked world number one in the 100m hurdles.

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