12th May, 2024
By Taiwo Okanlawon
Nigerian sprinter and 100m hurdles world record holder Tobi Amusan has become the world’s fastest woman in the women’s 100m hurdles following her incredible performance at the inaugural Jamaica Athletics Invitational.
Nigerian athletics sensation stole the spotlight on Saturday, when she ran a world-leading time of 12.40 seconds in Kingston to win from home favourite and reigning world champion Danielle Williams (12.46) with USA’s Christina Clemens third in 12.54s.
The women’s 100m belonged to another African, Marie-Josée Ta Lou-Smith, who was the only athlete inside 11 seconds.
This was a major statement of intent from the Nigerian ahead of the summer’s biggest meetings and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Amusan has been in scintillating form so far in 2024, having opened her campaign with an African record of 12.58s in Doha last month.
She’s clearly picked up where she left off after her jaw-dropping world record run of 12.12s to take gold at last year’s World Championships in Oregon.
With this blistering early-season time in Jamaica, Amusan has sent out an ominous warning to her rivals that she’ll take some stopping in her bid to reclaim her world title.
In March, Amusan ran a time of 12.89 seconds on Wednesday to win the Women’s 100 metres hurdles at the African Games in Ghana.
After a false start scare, Amusan flew to an easy win. She completes a hat-trick of African Games titles with that win.
Amusan defeated Sidonie Fiadanantsoa of Madagascar who ran at time of 13.19 seconds to finish 2nd.
Amusan is the current world record holder in the 100 metres hurdles with a time of 12.12 seconds which she set at the 2022 women’s 100 metres hurdles semi final in Eugene Oregon.
She is the current Commonwealth and African champion in the 100m hurdles, as well as the meet record holder in those two competitions.
Amusan became the first ever Nigerian world champion and world record holder in an athletics event when she won the 2022 World Championships 100m hurdles gold medal, setting the current world record of 12.12 seconds (+0.9m/s) in the semi-final, followed up by a 12.06 seconds (+2.5m/s) in the final.
She won back-to-back Commonwealth and African titles in 2018 and 2022 in the 100m hurdles and is also now a three-time African Games champion in the event.