Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan bounced back from the loss of
her women’s 100m hurdles world record by winning the event at the Grand Prix
Brescia in Italy on Sunday.
Amusan clocked 12.56 seconds at the Gabre
Gabric Stadium to finish ahead of a strong international field that included
American Alaysha Johnson, Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent and former world record
holder Kendra Harrison.
Johnson finished second in 12.62 seconds, while Nugent
took third in 12.75 seconds. Japan’s Hitomi Nakajima crossed the line fourth in
12.80 seconds, with Harrison finishing fifth in 12.94 seconds.
The victory was particularly impressive given the
difficult conditions, with athletes facing a strong 1.7 metres per second
headwind throughout the race.
Although Amusan’s winning time was significantly
slower than her 12.12-second world record, the conditions made it difficult for
the athletes to produce fast times. Her performance instead highlighted her
ability to maintain speed, rhythm and composure against elite opposition.
The victory also marked a strong response from the
Nigerian following her disappointment at the Zurich Diamond League, where
American Masai Russell broke Amusan’s four-year-old world record.
Russell clocked 12.09 seconds in Zurich to
surpass the 12.12-second mark Amusan had set at the 2022 World Athletics
Championships in Eugene, United States. Amusan finished second in that race in
12.23 seconds, recording a season-best performance despite losing her world
record.
Rather than allowing the setback to affect her
momentum, the Nigerian responded with another victory just days later in
Brescia.
The quality of the field further enhanced the
significance of her latest triumph, with Johnson, Nugent and Harrison all
bringing impressive records and international experience to the competition.
Amusan entered the Brescia meeting with a season-best
of 12.28 seconds and a personal best of 12.12 seconds, according to the
competition entry information.
The Grand Prix Brescia, a Silver-level meeting on the
World Athletics Continental Tour, attracted several international stars and was
staged between the Diamond League meetings in Zurich and Brussels.
Amusan remains one of Nigeria’s most successful active
athletes and one of the leading figures in global sprint hurdling.
Her historic 2022 season saw her win the world title
and set the 12.12-second world record, establishing herself as one of the
biggest names in the event.
While her world record has now been broken, her latest
victory demonstrates that Amusan remains a formidable competitor at the highest
level.
The Nigerian will now look to build on her Brescia
victory, with improved conditions potentially providing further opportunities
to post faster times as the athletics season enters its closing stages.
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