Nigerian sprint hurdler and world record holder Tobi Amusan secured her first major victory of the 2025 season at the Diamond League meet in Rabat, Morocco, on Sunday.
The 28-year-old stormed to victory in the women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 12.45 seconds, capping off a strong performance after already setting a season-best 12.24 seconds in the heats, shattering the previous meet record of 12.51 seconds held by American Brianna McNeal since 2018.
Dutch athlete Nadine Visser claimed second place in 12.67 seconds, while Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska took third in 12.69 seconds.
A Season of Challenges and Triumph
Amusan’s win in Rabat marks a significant turnaround after a rocky start to her 2025 campaign. She opened the season with back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the Xiamen and Shanghai Diamond League meets in May. Though she secured a win at Jamaica’s Velocity Fest 16 in March, the competition was less intense, making her Diamond League victory all the more meaningful.
This triumph also serves as redemption after a disappointing end to her 2024 season, where she failed to qualify for the women’s 100m hurdles final at the Paris Olympics.
Trusting the Process
In a post-race interview, Amusan attributed her success to what she described as renewed focus on technique.
“I was surprised. The beginning of the season was a little bit rough for me. But I just kept my head down and trusted the process. I just wanted to execute a clean race, so I am happy with the victory. I don’t know what I did, but it went well.”
She credited her recent improvements to focused training.
“Since the Chinese Wanda Diamond Leagues, I put a lot of practice in, especially sprinting. Two weeks in, I can feel the difference in my speed.”
Amusan also expressed her joy at returning to Rabat, where she previously won gold at the 2019 African Games:
“I was here in 2019 for the African Games and I won, so it was like coming home. I was really excited.”
Eyes on the World Championships
With this win, Amusan has reestablished herself as a top contender for medals at the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo. Her ability to bounce back from setbacks and deliver under pressure highlights her resilience and championship mentality.
As the season progresses, fans and rivals alike will be watching closely to see if she can maintain this momentum, and perhaps even challenge her own world record of 12.12 seconds
