Amusan Records Season’s Best as Enekwechi Opens 2026 Campaign

Nigerian sprint hurdles sensation Tobi Amusan has delivered her fastest performance of the season at the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen, China.

Competing at the Egret Stadium on Saturday, she clocked an impressive 12.28 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles.

The time marks a solid improvement from her previous season’s best of 12.41 seconds. Amusan secured second place in a fiercely contested, high quality race that highlighted the immense depth of the global hurdles circuit.

She finished just behind world leader Masai Russell, who stormed to victory in 12.14 seconds. Russell’s exceptional time set a North American and Diamond League record, bringing her painfully close to Amusan’s world record of 12.12 seconds set in Oregon back in 2022.

Devynne Charlton of The Bahamas took the third spot on the podium, finishing in 12.37 seconds. She was followed by top tier athletes including Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds and Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji.

For Amusan, the Xiamen meet represents a significant step forward in her 2026 campaign. She entered the competition looking to make a strong statement following her recent African championship victory and a third place finish at the Shanghai Diamond League.

In the men’s shot put event, fellow Nigerian Chukwuebuka Enekwechi officially opened his Diamond League season with a fifth place finish.

Throwing against a highly competitive field packed with world class talent, the African record holder registered a best throw of 21.14 metres. He is pushing hard to gather enough qualification points to secure a third consecutive appearance in the Diamond League final.

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The shot put event was ultimately won by Jamaica’s Rajindra Campbell, who threw a massive 22.34 metres.

He outclassed a stellar lineup that included Jordan Geist of the United States, world record holder Ryan Crouser, and New Zealand’s Tom Walsh.

Enekwechi, who boasts an African record of 22.10 metres and a personal season’s best of 21.74 metres, will be targeting much longer distances in his upcoming meetings as the rigorous athletics season unfolds.