Tobi Amusan world record: the 12.12 run and what came next

Last updated: 6 October 2026.

Tobi Amusan’s world record of 12.12 seconds in the 100m hurdles lasted just over four years. She set it at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, and it was beaten by the American Masai Russell, who ran 12.09 in Zürich on 27 August 2026. This guide explains both records, why Amusan’s faster 12.06 in Eugene never counted, what Russell’s run means for Amusan, and what else she has won. Details come from Olympics.com, ESPN, Athletics Weekly and World Athletics results, and are correct as of October 2026.

The short answer

• Amusan’s record: 12.12 seconds (wind +0.9 m/s) in the semi-final at the 2022 World Championships on 24 July 2022.
• The 12.06: Amusan ran 12.06 in the final later that evening, but the wind was +2.5 m/s, above the legal limit, so it could not count as a record.
• The new mark: Masai Russell ran 12.09 (0.0 wind) at Weltklasse Zürich on 27 August 2026. Amusan was second in 12.23. The record is subject to World Athletics ratification.
• Still an African record: 12.12 remains the African record and Nigeria’s national record.
• Firsts: Amusan was Nigeria’s first world champion and its first world record holder in athletics.

Eugene 2022: 12.12 and 12.06 on the same night

Amusan arrived in Oregon as the African record holder but had finished fourth at the previous two global championships. She improved her own African record in the heats with 12.40. Then, in the semi-final, she ran 12.12, taking 0.08 seconds off the world record of 12.20 set by Kendra Harrison of the United States in 2016. For a record that usually falls by hundredths, it was a huge improvement.

Later the same day she won the final in 12.06, the fastest time ever run in the event. A tailwind of 2.5 m/s, over the 2.0 m/s limit, meant it was recorded as wind-assisted. That is why searches for “Tobi Amusan world record 12.06” find so many conflicting answers. The world title was valid, and the 12.12 from the semi-final became the official record.

How the record evolved

• 12.21: Yordanka Donkova of Bulgaria, Stara Zagora, 20 August 1988. It stood for almost 28 years.
• 12.20: Kendra Harrison (USA), London, 22 July 2016.
• 12.12: Tobi Amusan (Nigeria), 24 July 2022.
• 12.09: Masai Russell (USA), 27 August 2026, pending ratification.

Zürich 2026: Russell takes the record

Olympics.com reported that Russell ran 12.09 in still conditions at the Weltklasse meeting. Amusan ran a season’s best of 12.23 to finish second. Before Russell can officially replace Amusan in the record books, World Athletics has to ratify the time. That process normally includes checking the timing and wind equipment and the athlete’s post-race doping test.

The race was held at the same Zürich stadium where Amusan won her first Diamond League title in 2021.

Amusan’s major titles and medals

• World Championships: gold in 2022 (Eugene) and silver in 2025 (Tokyo, 12.29). She was sixth in the 2023 final in Budapest.
• Diamond League champion: 2021, 2022 and 2023. Her 2021 win made her Nigeria’s first Diamond League trophy winner, setting an African record of 12.42 in Zürich.
• Commonwealth Games: gold in 2018 (Gold Coast) and 2022 (Birmingham, Games record 12.30), and bronze in 2026 (Glasgow, 12.60), behind Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas.
• African Championships: gold in 2018 and 2022.
• African Games: gold in 2015 and 2019.
• Olympics: fourth at Tokyo 2020, and a semi-finalist at Paris 2024.

The 2023 whereabouts case

In July 2023 the Athletics Integrity Unit charged Amusan with missing three drug tests within 12 months and provisionally suspended her. In August 2023, a disciplinary tribunal cleared her of any anti-doping violation and lifted the suspension. The Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld that decision in 2024. She was never banned.

Tokyo 2025: the comeback silver

ESPN described Amusan putting her bad memories of Tokyo, where she missed an Olympic medal by one place in 2021, behind her when she won silver at the 2025 World Championships there. Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji won in 12.24, and Amusan’s 12.29 was her best global result since Eugene.

Who is Tobi Amusan?

Oluwatobiloba Amusan comes from Ijebu Ode in Ogun State, where she was born on 23 April 1997. She first made her name by winning the 2015 African Games title as an 18-year-old. She later went to college in the United States, at UTEP (the University of Texas at El Paso).

FAQ

Is Tobi Amusan still the world record holder?

No. Masai Russell’s 12.09 from 27 August 2026 replaced Amusan’s 12.12, pending ratification. Amusan still holds the African record.

Why didn’t Amusan’s 12.06 count as a world record?

The tailwind was 2.5 m/s, which is above the 2.0 m/s legal limit for records.

When did Tobi Amusan set the world record?

On 24 July 2022, in the semi-finals of the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Has Tobi Amusan won an Olympic medal?

Not yet. Her best result is fourth place at Tokyo 2020.

What to watch

Watch for World Athletics confirming Russell’s 12.09, and for Amusan’s next season. The 2027 World Championships in Beijing and the LA 2028 Olympics are her next big targets.

Related: Fastest man in Nigeria: 100m record holder and top sprinters; Nigeria Olympic medals: every medal since 1964; African winners at the Grammys, Oscars, Cannes and Emmys: a timeline. More in our Nigerian Entertainment section.

Sources

• Olympics.com: Masai Russell breaks women’s 100m hurdles world record with 12.09 in Zürich (August 2026)
• ESPN: Tobi Amusan shakes off Tokyo “PTSD” to win silver at World Championships (September 2025)
• Athletics Weekly: Commonwealth Games Glasgow 2026 results (July 2026)
• Wikipedia: Tobi Amusan, career record