Masai Russell Shatters Tobi Amusan’s 100m Hurdles World Record in Zurich

American hurdler Masai Russell has set a new women’s 100m hurdles world record, ending Tobi Amusan’s four-year reign at the top of the event.

Russell produced a remarkable 12.09 seconds at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday to take victory and lower Amusan’s previous record by three hundredths of a second.

Amusan had established the previous world record of 12.12 seconds at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, United States.

The Nigerian was also in the Zurich field and finished second in 12.23 seconds, recording her best time of the season. Dutch athlete Nadine Visser was third in 12.34 seconds.

Russell’s performance represents a major milestone for the American, who is the reigning Olympic champion in the event.

The 26-year-old had already established herself among the leading hurdlers in the world, but her latest performance moves her to the top of the all-time rankings.

Amusan’s record had survived several challenges since 2022 and became one of the defining marks of Nigerian athletics.

The Nigerian had produced an even faster 12.06 seconds in the 2022 World Championship final, but that performance could not be recognised as a world record because the wind was above the permitted limit.

Russell’s 12.09-second effort in Zurich was achieved under legal conditions, allowing the mark to become the official world record.

The Zurich meeting also witnessed another world record, with Brazil’s Alison dos Santos breaking the men’s 400m hurdles mark earlier in the programme.

The extraordinary night gave athletics fans two new world records within a short period and placed Russell at the centre of one of the season’s biggest performances.