Amusan begins bid for third Commonwealth title

Tobi Amusan, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion and world record holder in the women's 100m hurdles, is set to defend her title for a third consecutive time at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The Nigerian athlete will commence her campaign on Thursday, aiming to cement her dominance in the event.

Amusan has been drawn in the first heat, facing competitors like Evonne Britton of Ghana and Mariam Abdul-Rashid of Canada. She enters the competition as the clear favorite, holding the fastest season's best time of 12.28 seconds. This season, she has achieved this mark on three occasions and secured two Diamond League victories in Paris and Rabat.

Her previous Commonwealth triumphs include a gold medal at the 2018 Gold Coast Games with a time of 12.68 seconds, making her the first Nigerian woman to win the event. She successfully defended her title four years later in Birmingham with a Games record of 12.30 seconds. Amusan is now poised to achieve a historic hat-trick and potentially lower her own Games record.

Following her Commonwealth Games campaign, Amusan will shift her focus to the Diamond League circuit. She has already qualified for the final in Brussels and will be competing to reclaim the Diamond League title, which she won for three consecutive years from 2021 to 2023.