Amusan wins in Brescia, Ajayi excels in Switzerland
Former world record holder Tobi Amusan warmed up for the 2026 Diamond League Final in style, winning the women’s 100m hurdles at the Grand Prix Brescia in Italy on Sunday.
Amusan crossed the finish line in 12.56 seconds to claim victory despite competing in a stiff 1.7m/s headwind.
The Nigerian star finished ahead of American hurdler Alaysha Johnson, who placed second in 12.62 seconds, while Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent completed the podium in 12.75 seconds.
Amusan’s victory in Brescia came days after American hurdler and Olympic champion Masai Russell broke her world record at the Zurich Diamond League last Thursday.
Russell ran a stunning 12.09 seconds, taking three hundredths of a second off Amusan’s previous world record of 12.12 seconds at the Letzigrund Stadium.
The 26-year-old finished ahead of Amusan, who placed second in a season’s best of 12.23 seconds.
Before Russell’s record-breaking performance, Amusan had held the world record for four years after running 12.12 seconds in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The Nigerian went on to win the final in 12.06 seconds, but the time did not count as a world record due to an excessive tailwind.
Both hurdlers will go head-to-head again when the Diamond League Final takes centre stage in Brussels, Belgium, from September 4 to 5.
Amusan is a three-time Diamond League champion, having won the title in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and will be hoping to reclaim the crown this year.
Elsewhere, Nigeria’s 100m record holder Kayinsola Ajayi continued his impressive season by winning the men’s 100m at the Galà dei Castelli meeting in Bellinzona, Switzerland, on Sunday, clocking 9.91 seconds and marking his 15th sub-10s race.
Ajayi ran 9.91 seconds with a legal 0.2m/s tailwind to finish ahead of American Ronnie Baker, who clocked 9.94 seconds, while South Africa’s Akani Simbine was third in 9.95 seconds.
The victory marked Ajayi’s 15th career sub-10-second performance and his ninth legal sub-10-second clocking of the 2026 season.
His first sub-10 of the 2026 campaign came at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, in April, where he clocked 9.96 seconds (+1.9m/s) to win the men’s 100m and make an emphatic start to his outdoor season.
Since then, the 21-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable breakthrough year, beginning with his Nigerian 100m record of 9.84 seconds at the 2026 NCAA Division I East First Round in the United States in May.
Ajayi’s mark lowered Olusoji Fasuba’s 20-year-old Nigerian record of 9.85 seconds.
He went on to win the NCAA outdoor 100m title and has since equalled his national record twice. He also secured two victories on the Diamond League circuit during the season.
Ajayi’s breakthrough continued at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where he won bronze in the men’s 100m.
The Nigerian recently signed with Adidas, confirming that he will forgo his final year of collegiate eligibility at Auburn University after three seasons.
His latest victory in Bellinzona further underlined his rapid rise as one of Nigeria’s leading sprint prospects, with the season set to culminate at the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest in September.
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