American Olympic champion Masai Russell has broken Tobi Amusan’s women’s 100m hurdles world record, clocking 12.09 seconds at the Zurich Diamond League on Thursday, according to Wanda Diamond League and BBC. Russell’s performance shaved 0.03 seconds off Amusan’s previous 12.12 second mark, which the Nigerian set at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene.
Russell produced the record breaking run without any wind assistance, continuing a remarkable 2026 season in which she has remained unbeaten in the event. The 26 year old had previously run 12.14 seconds in Xiamen in May, narrowly missing Amusan’s record at the time.
Amusan, competing in the same race, finished second in a season best 12.23 seconds, while the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser took third in 12.34. The result means Amusan’s four year reign as the women’s 100m hurdles world record holder has come to an end, although her performance in Zurich represented a significant return to form.
The Zurich meeting produced two world records in less than 40 minutes, with Brazil’s Alison dos Santos earlier setting a new men’s 400m hurdles record of 45.80 seconds. Russell’s victory also marked her 12th consecutive win in the 100m hurdles, setting up another highly anticipated meeting with Amusan as the season progresses.
