Masai Russell Chases Tobi Amusan’s World Record to Monaco

Olympic 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell will continue her pursuit of Tobi Amusan’s world record when she lines up at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Monaco on Friday night.

The American has been one of the standout performers in the event this season and has repeatedly threatened Amusan’s world record of 12.12 seconds, set in 2022.

Russell moved within two hundredths of a second of the Nigerian’s historic mark after clocking 12.14 seconds at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Xiamen earlier this year.

She later defeated Amusan in Eugene, setting a meeting record of 12.24 seconds in another impressive display.

With her confidence growing, Russell will return to Monaco aiming to challenge the four year old world record.

Amusan, the reigning world record holder and Commonwealth Games champion, will not compete in Monaco, having already faced Russell several times this season. The American has won their recent head-to-head meetings, adding further excitement to the women’s sprint hurdles event.

Despite Amusan’s absence, Russell will face a strong international field featuring some of the world’s fastest hurdlers, including France’s Sacha Alessandrini, Americans Alaysha Johnson, Rayniah Jones and Aaliyah McCormick, Jamaica’s Demisha Roswell, Poland’s Pia Skrzyszowska and Dutch star Nadine Visser.

Visser enters the competition with a personal best of 12.28 seconds, while Johnson has a career best of 12.31 seconds. Skrzyszowska and the other contenders will provide Russell with strong competition as she looks to continue her record-breaking form.

Russell, currently ranked as the world’s leading 100m hurdler, has made it clear that breaking Amusan’s world record remains one of her biggest ambitions. Monaco could provide another opportunity for the Olympic champion to make history.