Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan has emerged as the winner of the Diamond League trophy for an astonishing third consecutive time.
On Sunday night in Oregon, Amusan, with a time of 12.33 seconds, emerged the winner of the fiercely contested 100-meter hurdles event to silence her critics after a disappointing outing in Budapest.
Amusan, with Sunday’s remarkable performance, made history as the second woman in Diamond League history after Dawn Nelson-Harper to win a hat-trick of 100-meter hurdles titles.
Interestingly, it was in Oregon that Amusan won the world title last year and also set a world record in the process.
For Sunday’s race, the hard-charging Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico finished second in 12.38, while American Keni Harrison was third in 12.44.
Danielle Williams of Jamaica, who dethroned Amusan in Budapest, finished fourth in 12.47.
The athletic season has been a torrid one for Tobi, but she emphatically proved on Sunday that she is arguably the best sprint hurdler in the world.
The sweet victory in Oregon brings a triumphant close to what has been a difficult summer for Tobi.
Many people remember how Amusan’s devastation during the lead-up to the World Championships in Budapest resulted from the Athletics Integrity Unit temporarily suspending her due to whereabouts failures.
The 26-year-old was cleared by a disciplinary tribunal on the eve of the meet’s kickoff, and it wasn’t surprising when Tobi, uncharacteristically, finished sixth in the 100-meter hurdle final in Budapest.
With many not initially sure whether the AIU will file an appeal against Amusan at the Court of Arbitration for Sports, the focus has already shifted to next year’s Olympic Games in Paris.
However, with a better frame of mind to prepare, Tobi came out smoking to win her third Diamond League trophy on Sunday.
The world record holder first made history in 2021 when she ran a 12.42 African record to become the first Nigerian to win a Diamond League title.
For those who said it was a fluke, Tobi went on to successfully defend her title the following year, running a new 12.29 Weltklasse meeting record in Zurich, Switzerland.
And on Sunday, Amusan made it a hat trick of wins with a season-best time of 12.33 seconds in Eugene, Oregon.
