Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan claimed silver in the women’s 100 metres hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Monday, finishing behind Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji, who stunned the field to clinch gold with a national record performance, The Telegraph reports.
Kambundji, 23, delivered a career-best performance, clocking 12.24 seconds to secure Switzerland’s first-ever world title in the event, eclipsing her previous personal best and announcing her arrival on the global stage.
Amusan, the 2022 world champion and current world record holder, followed closely with 12.29 seconds, narrowly missing out on defending her crown. The result marks Nigeria’s 12th medal in World Championships history and adds another impressive accolade to Amusan’s decorated career.
American Grace Stark took bronze in 12.34 seconds, while compatriot Masai Russell finished fourth in 12.44 seconds, hindered by a slow reaction time of 0.240 seconds—the slowest among the finalists.
Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska equaled her season’s best with 12.49 seconds to take fifth place, just ahead of Bahamian Devynne Charlton, who clocked the same time but was edged out at the line. Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, the reigning 2023 world champion, finished seventh in 12.53 seconds, with Nadine Visser of the Netherlands completing the field in eighth at 12.56 seconds.
Amusan had looked in commanding form during the semi-finals, winning her heat in 12.36 seconds ahead of Visser and Skrzyszowska, raising hopes of a successful title defense. However, in the final, despite a strong start and clean hurdles, she couldn’t hold off Kambundji’s powerful late charge.
At 28, Amusan adds a silver medal to her growing list of achievements, three years after making history with her gold medal and world record time of 12.12 seconds at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.
