Tobi Amusan Wins Silver in 100m Hurdles at Tokyo World Championships

Photo Credit: World Athletics/Instagram

Nigeria’s sprint queen, Tobi Amusan, reminded the world of her brilliance on Monday night as she stormed to silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Tokyo 2025 World Championships. The 28-year-old clocked an impressive 12.29 seconds in a thrilling final that had fans on the edge of their seats.

She was narrowly edged out of gold by Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji, who claimed victory in a national record of 12.24s. Grace Stark of the United States took bronze in 12.34s, while Olympic champion Masai Russell finished just outside the podium in 12.44s.

For Amusan, it was a mix of triumph and emotion. This was the very same Tokyo stadium where she finished fourth at the 2021 Olympics—an experience that has stayed with her ever since.

“I remember in 2021, I came here and I came fourth. The moment I heard World Championships was going to be kept here, I had a PTSD,” Amusan confessed. “But then I had to snap out of it and told myself I’m not leaving here without the gold medal. I don’t know, but I’ll take a silver. It’s been God. The journey has been extremely rough. I’ve taken more L’s than wins. I’m just thankful that I have a great support system, my coach, my family, my mentors, my loved ones.”

Amusan’s journey back to the podium hasn’t been smooth. From the glory of breaking the world record in Oregon in 2022, to injuries, setbacks, and administrative battles, she has had to fight harder than ever to remain at the top. That’s why this medal, she said, belongs as much to her supporters as it does to her.

“This is for everyone who supported me through it all,” she said. “Look at the kind of lineup we have in the women’s hurdles—it’s anybody’s race. I kept saying to myself yesterday, it’s not of the swift but of God who shows mercy. I worked really hard and I deserve this. I’m just thankful I didn’t leave here with no medal again this year.”

Earlier this season, Amusan had already signalled that she was in form, running a season’s best of 12.24s. For her, the silver medal is proof that she was right where she needed to be. “Trust me, I knew I was coming. A 12.29 to get the silver medal—we’ll take it. It could be better, but we’ll take it.”

And while her strides on the track are always the headline, Amusan also showed off a softer side this season with a bold new cropped hairstyle that drew attention in Tokyo.

“I was just tired of braiding my hair,” she laughed. “I train Monday through Saturday. There’s no time to rest, and on Sundays when I should rest, I don’t want to sit at a salon. So I just chopped it off into a pixie. No stress, no drama.”