Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan settled for silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday.
Amusan clocked 12.34 seconds to finish behind United States Olympic champion Masai Russell, who won the title in 12.22 seconds.
Netherlands’ Nadine Visser completed the podium in 12.39 seconds.
The result meant Amusan, the former world record holder in the event, could not reclaim the top spot from Russell, who broke the Nigerian’s world record with a 12.09-second run at the Zurich Diamond League in August.
Russell entered Friday’s final as the favourite after her record-breaking performance in Zurich and maintained her form to claim another victory.
The American also extended her unbeaten run in 2026, adding the Ultimate Championship title to the Diamond League Final crown she won in Brussels last week.
Speaking after the race, Amusan said she approached the championship determined to give her best after a difficult period during the season.
“First, God is good,” Amusan said.
“What started off as an amazing season, you know, in between I had some nipping here and there. You know, I’m not a robot. You know, the body did shut down at a point.”
The 29-year-old hurdler said she gradually regained her momentum by taking each race as it came before arriving in Budapest with a determined mindset.
“Coming into this championship, my mindset going to the line was, ‘We die here.’ I just kept telling myself I have to give it my all,” she said.
Amusan said she was determined to give everything she had in the final, regardless of the outcome.
“All I knew was, look, I did it. That’s all I knew. And the second I saw the second-place finish, I was like, look, I can’t complain. God is good,” she said.
The silver medal came after a challenging period for Amusan, who finished third at the Commonwealth Games before Russell broke her 100m hurdles world record. She subsequently placed fourth at the Diamond League Final.
Amusan admitted that the setbacks had been emotionally difficult but credited her family, mentor, coach and boyfriend with helping her regain her confidence.
“I’m not going to lie. It was very rough,” she said.
“I mean, to my family, to my mentor, to my coach, to my boyfriend. That’s brought life back into me.”
She said the support and encouragement from those close to her helped her put the setbacks behind her and focus on the Budapest final.
“This morning it was all about put the past behind you and just go for it. And those few sentences that I got here and there got me to this finish line today,” she said.
Amusan said her silver medal, together with her Commonwealth Games bronze, represented a positive response to the setbacks she had experienced.
“With the Commonwealth medal, it is a statement,” she said.
On the growing competitiveness in the women’s 100m hurdles, Amusan said the event was becoming increasingly difficult, warning that the battle among the leading hurdlers would intensify.
“Honestly, in that event, I think I would be the sleeping lion,” she said.
“I think the women’s hurdles is just getting scarier every damn year. Next year, I do not know what’s going to happen. But it’s going to be bloody.”
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