Amusan wins silver at inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship

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Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan won the silver medal in the women’s 100m hurdles at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday.

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Amusan clocked 12.34 seconds to finish second behind United States Olympic champion Masai Russell, who won the title in 12.22 seconds.

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Netherlands’ Nadine Visser completed the podium after finishing third in 12.39 seconds.

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The result meant Amusan, a former world record holder in the event, was unable to reclaim the top spot from Russell, who broke the Nigerian’s world record with a time of 12.09 seconds at the Zurich Diamond League in August.

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Russell entered the Budapest final as the favourite following her record-breaking performance in Zurich and maintained her impressive form to claim another victory.

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The American also extended her unbeaten run in 2026, adding the Ultimate Championship title to the Diamond League Final crown she won in Brussels last week.

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Reflecting on her performance after the race, Amusan said she went into the championship determined to give her best after a challenging period during the season.

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“First, God is good,” Amusan said.

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“What started off as an amazing season, you know, in between I had some nipping here and there. You know, I’m not a robot. You know, the body did shut down at a point.”

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The 29-year-old hurdler said she gradually regained her momentum by taking each race as it came before arriving in Budapest with a determined mindset.

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“Coming into this championship, my mindset going to the line was, ‘We die here.’ I just kept telling myself I have to give it my all,” she said.

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Amusan said she was determined to put everything into the race regardless of the eventual outcome.

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“All I knew was, look, I did it. That’s all I knew. And the second I saw the second-place finish, I was like, look, I can’t complain. God is good,” she said.

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The silver medal came after a difficult period for Amusan, who finished third at the Commonwealth Games before Russell broke her 100m hurdles world record. She later finished fourth at the Diamond League Final.

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Amusan admitted that the setbacks had been emotionally difficult but credited her family, mentor, coach and boyfriend with helping her regain her confidence.

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“I’m not going to lie. It was very rough,” Amusan said.

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“I mean, to my family, to my mentor, to my coach, to my boyfriend. That’s brought life back into me.”

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She said the encouragement she received from those close to her helped her put the setbacks behind her and focus on the Budapest race.

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“This morning it was all about put the past behind you and just go for it. And those few sentences that I got here and there got me to this finish line today,” she said.

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Amusan said her second-place finish, alongside her Commonwealth medal, represented a positive response to the setbacks she had experienced.

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“With the Commonwealth medal, it is a statement,” she said.

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On the increasing competitiveness in the women’s 100m hurdles, Amusan described the event as becoming more difficult, warning that the battle among the leading hurdlers would intensify.

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“Honestly, in that event, I think I would be the sleeping lion,” she said.

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“I think the women’s hurdles is just getting scarier every damn year. Next year, I do not know what’s going to happen. But it’s going to be bloody.”

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