Amusan Earns $35,000 Payday After Thrilling 100m Hurdles Battle In London

Nigerian hurdler Tobi Amusan earned $35,000 after finishing second in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Athlos meeting in London on Friday, September 18.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Amusan clocked 12.51 seconds at StoneX Stadium in Barnet, finishing just 0.01 seconds behind American hurdler Alaysha Johnson, who claimed victory in 12.50 seconds. The race was run with a 1.2m/s tailwind.

The result brought Amusan’s campaign to an end after another competitive season at the highest level of women’s hurdles. Johnson, who was competing in her 40th race of the season, secured the Athlos hurdles title following the withdrawal of Olympic champion and world record holder Masai Russell earlier in the week.

Amusan had been confirmed for the London meeting in August and faced a strong field that included Bahamas Commonwealth Games champion and world indoor record holder Devynne Charlton. Charlton finished third in 12.63 seconds, while Jamaica’s former world champion Danielle Williams also recorded 12.63 seconds to place fourth.

Another Jamaican, Megan Simmonds, finished fifth in 12.66 seconds, while American Rayniah Jones came sixth after clocking 12.83 seconds.

The second-place finish added another significant payday to Amusan’s season. The Nigerian previously earned $75,000 after finishing second to Russell at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary. Amusan recorded 12.34 seconds in the final, while Russell won in 12.22 seconds.

Russell has also defeated Amusan three consecutive times this season, including at the Diamond League Final in Brussels, where the Nigerian finished fourth.

Amusan’s season also saw her long-standing 100m hurdles world record broken by Russell. The American clocked 12.09 seconds at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, surpassing Amusan’s 12.12-second mark set in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Amusan had held the world record for four years.

Meanwhile, Athlos organisers have cancelled the New York meeting that had been scheduled for October 2. The organisers had planned to expand the female-only track and field series into a two-day event in 2026.

Athlos was founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and held its inaugural meeting at Icahn Stadium in New York City on September 26, 2024. The series features a total prize purse of $2.1 million, with athletes competing for a top prize of $65,000 in each event, in addition to an Athlos crown designed by Tiffany & Co.