Amusan Misses Podium as Russell Wins Diamond League Crown

Tobi Amusan’s bid to reclaim the Diamond League 100m hurdles crown ended with a fourth-place finish, while Masai Russell produced another winning performance in Brussels.

Russell clocked a meet-record 12.20 seconds in Saturday’s final to secure the title. Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas finished second in 12.33 seconds after lowering her national record, and Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds took third in a season’s best 12.43. Amusan finished fourth in 12.54.

The final had drawn particular attention because Russell had beaten Amusan in Zurich days earlier and taken the Nigerian’s world record. Russell ran 12.09 seconds there, lowering Amusan’s previous mark by three-hundredths of a second and becoming the first woman to break 12 seconds in the event.

Amusan had prepared for the Brussels final with a victory at the Grand Prix Brescia in Italy on Aug. 31. She ran 12.56 seconds into a strong headwind, finishing ahead of American Alaysha Johnson and Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent. In Zurich, she had placed second behind Russell in a season’s best 12.23 seconds.

The Nigerian is a three-time Diamond League champion, having won in 2021, 2022 and 2023. She held the world record for four years after running 12.12 seconds in the semifinals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. She won the final in 12.06 seconds, but the time did not count as a world record because of excessive tailwind. Winners in Brussels also earned automatic qualification for the following week’s $10 million World Athletics Ultimate Championship.