Tobi Amusan of Nigeria sets a new African women’s 100 meter hurdles record
At the Diamond League meet in Paris, Tobi Amusan set a new African record in the women’s 100 meter hurdles with a time of 12.41 seconds, the third best time of the season.
She is barely seconds behind Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico (12.37s) and Alaysha Johnson of the United States (12.40s).
In the September 2021 Diamond League final, the Nigerian was a second quicker than Gloria Alozie, who held the national and continental records for 23 years.
On Saturday, Amusan, 25, continued her outstanding season on the tracks at Charléty Stadium. The team won two gold medals in the African Athletics Championships in Mauritius, one in the women’s hurdles and the other in the 4100 meter relay.
She beat Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas (12.63s) and Cindy Sember of the United Kingdom (12.73s) in Paris.
She will compete at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA, in July, as well as the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, from July 28 to August 8.
Amusan is also anticipated to return home for the Athletic Federation of Nigeria (AFN) national trials, which will take place in Benin, Edo State, from June 21 to 23.
Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce Triumphs
Aside from the Nigerian, there were other victors on Saturday, including Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who reaffirmed her standing as the world championship favorite by winning the 100m in a time that was equal to her world best this year.
The experienced Jamaican sprinter won in 10.67 seconds in the city’s Charlety stadium, despite the oppressive 30-degree heat.
The 35-year-old Fraser-Pryce, a two-time Olympic winner in the 100m, equaled her best time for 2022, which she recorded in Nairobi in May.
The triumph demonstrated the nine-time world champion’s threat to defending Olympic champion Elaine Thompson-Herah at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, next month.
Both will compete in the Jamaican trials next week.
“I feel great, and everything went well technically.” “The idea is to constantly be on top technically, and then the lap times will come,” Fraser-Pryce explained.
“Physically, I was also in good shape. “Only a few sprinters are capable of running 10.6,” she continued.
Daryll Neita of the United Kingdom was second in 10.99 seconds on Saturday, with Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast third in 11.01 seconds.
Fraser-Pryce, the defending champion in the 100m, has already qualified for Eugene.
She hasn’t decided whether or not she will attempt the sprint double in Oregon, however.
“We’ll see if I’m physically and mentally prepared,” she stated on Friday.
Andre De Grasse returned to his preferred 200m in the French capital after a 10.05 second performance in the 100m in Oslo on Thursday.
However, the Olympic gold medalist from Canada finished fourth in a race won by South African Luxolo Adams in 19.82 seconds on Saturday.
Yaroslava Mahuchikh of Ukraine won the high jump with a season-best 2.01m. She was a silver medalist at the 2019 world championships and a bronze medalist at the 2020 Olympics.
Mahuchikh won on her second attempt, bettering her season-best 2.0m from the Eugene Diamond League tournament.
She tried three times at 2.05m and failed all three occasions, a centimetre higher than her career best.
Iryna Gerashchenko (1.98m) and Yuliya Levchenko (1.98m) finished second and third, respectively, on an all-Ukraine podium (1.95m).
Bahrain’s Winfred Mutile Yavi set a new season best in the 3,000m steeplechase.
The 22-year-old won in 8:56.55 seconds, earning her the fourth best performer in the discipline’s history.
Ethiopia’s Sembo Alemayehu, who is only 17 years old, finished in 9min 09.19sec behind her.
Devon Allen of the United States, who hopes to mix his sporting career between American football and athletics, came close to breaking the world record in the 110m hurdles last week, winning in 13.16 seconds.
His time was just 48 hours after he ran 13.22 seconds in Oslo.
