Tobi Amusan from Nigeria bagged the silver medal in the women's 100m hurdles at the first-ever World Athletics Ultimate Championship held in Budapest, Hungary, on Friday.
Amusan finished with a time of 12.34 seconds, coming in second to Masai Russell from the United States, who took the gold with a time of 12.22 seconds.
Nadine Visser from the Netherlands secured third place, finishing in 12.39 seconds.
This result means Amusan, a former world record holder, couldn't take back the top position from Russell. Russell had set a new world record of 12.09 seconds at the Zurich Diamond League in August.
Russell entered the final in Budapest as the favorite after her record-breaking performance in Zurich. She maintained her strong form to win again.
The American athlete also continued her winning streak into 2026, adding the Ultimate Championship title to the Diamond League Final crown she won in Brussels the previous week.
After the race, Amusan reflected on her performance, saying she was determined to give her best despite facing challenges this season.
"First, God is good," Amusan said.
"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."
The 29-year-old athlete mentioned that she slowly regained her momentum by taking one race at a time, arriving in Budapest with a strong mindset.
"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.
Amusan emphasized her commitment to giving everything she had in the race, no matter the result.
"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.
This silver medal follows a tough time for Amusan, who finished third at the Commonwealth Games and saw Russell break her 100m hurdles world record. She also came fourth at the Diamond League Final.
Amusan admitted that these setbacks were emotionally tough but credited her family, mentor, coach, and boyfriend for helping her regain her confidence.
"I’m not going to lie. It was very rough," Amusan said.
"I mean, to my family, to my mentor, to my coach, to my boyfriend. That’s brought life back into me."
She said the support she received from her loved ones helped her move past the setbacks and focus on the race in Budapest.
"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.
Amusan believes her second-place finish, along with her Commonwealth medal, is a strong response to her recent challenges.
"With the Commonwealth medal, it is a statement," she said.
On the growing competition in the women’s 100m hurdles, Amusan noted that the event is becoming tougher. She warned that the rivalry among top hurdlers will heat up.
"Honestly, in that event, I think I would be the sleeping lion," she said.
"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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