Tobi Amusan finishes second at Athlos meeting in London

Tobi Amusan earned $35,000 for coming second in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Athlos meeting in London on Friday.

The Nigerian athlete finished her season at this event, timing 12.51 seconds (+1.2m/s). She was just 0.01 seconds behind American Alaysha Johnson, who won with a time of 12.50 seconds. This was Johnson’s 40th race of the season.

Amusan, who once held the world record, was confirmed for this meeting in August. She competed against a strong group of athletes at StoneX Stadium in Barnet.

Devynne Charlton from the Bahamas, who is the Commonwealth Games champion and world indoor record holder, came third in 12.63 seconds. She was tied with Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, a former world champion, who finished in fourth place.

Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds took fifth place with a time of 12.66 seconds, while Rayniah Jones from the United States finished sixth in 12.83 seconds.

Johnson takes over from Masai Russell as the Athlos hurdles champion. Russell, the current world record holder and Olympic champion, was set to compete but pulled out earlier this week after winning the Diamond League and the $150,000 World Ultimate Championship.

This result ends a season for Amusan where she kept competing at a high level, even after losing her long-held world record to Russell. The American ran 12.09 seconds at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, breaking Amusan’s record of 12.12 seconds set in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Amusan had held that record for four years.

Amusan also finished second to Russell at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary. She clocked 12.34 seconds, while Russell finished with 12.22 seconds, earning $75,000. Amusan reached the final after coming second in her semi-final with a time of 12.49 seconds.

Russell, who won the $150,000 top prize in Budapest, has now beaten Amusan three times in a row this season. She also won at the Diamond League Final in Brussels, where Amusan placed fourth.

Athlos is a professional track and field series for women, first held at Icahn Stadium in New York City on September 26, 2024. It was set up by Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and husband of Serena Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles. The series has a prize pool of $2.1 million. Athletes compete for a top prize of $65,000 in each event and an Athlos crown designed by Tiffany & Co. They are also offered shares in the league.

Ohanian told the BBC in May, "The cash compensates their participation and success, and the equity recognises what we’re building together. If we get this right, it should properly place these amazing athletes on the same level as they are every four years during the Olympics."

The series was meant to grow into a two-day event in 2026, but the New York meeting scheduled for October 2 has been cancelled.