Amusan to begin Diamond League campaign in Shanghai

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World record holder Tobi Amusan will begin her 2026 Diamond League campaign in Shanghai just three days after competing at the African Senior Athletics Championships in Ghana, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

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The three-time Diamond League final winner is leading Nigeria’s contingent to the continental championships in Accra, where she is scheduled to compete in the women’s 100m hurdles on the opening day before a possible final appearance on Wednesday.

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Amusan heads into the African Championships as Nigeria’s biggest medal hopes, having already established herself as one of the most successful athletes in the competition’s history.

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The Nigerian sprint hurdler won gold in the women’s 100m hurdles and the 4x100m relay at the 2018 championships in Asaba before adding another hurdles gold and relay title at the 2022 edition in Mauritius.

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She also grabbed another relay gold at the 2024 championships in Douala.

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After her outing in Ghana, the 28-year-old will switch focus to the opening meeting of the 2026 Diamond League season in Shanghai/Keqiao on Saturday, where she will line up in a stacked women’s 100mh field featuring some of the biggest names in global athletics.

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Amusan, whose world record of 12.12s remains the fastest time ever run in the event, will face reigning world champion Ditaji Kambundji, Olympic champion Masai Russell, Jamaican world champion Danielle Williams and Bahamian sprint hurdler Devynne Charlton.

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The race will also include Ackera Nugent, Tonea Marshall, Megan Simmonds and China’s Wu Yanni.

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Amusan and Russell remain the two fastest women in history over the distance with personal bests of 12.12s and 12.17s respectively, while Kambundji ran a Swiss record 12.24s to win the world title in Tokyo last year.

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The Shanghai/Keqiao meeting will officially open the 2026 Diamond League season, which concludes with the two-day final in Brussels on September 4 and 5.

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Other women’s headline stars expected at the meeting include Kenyan middle-distance icon Faith Kipyegon, Jamaican sprint stars Shericka Jackson and Sha’Carri Richardson, Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo and Bahraini quarter-miler Salwa Eid Naser.

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