Tobi Amusan signed off her 2026 season with a second-place finish in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Athlos meeting in London on Friday, earning $35,000 for her efforts.
The Nigerian clocked 12.51 seconds (+1.2m/s) at StoneX Stadium in Barnet, finishing just 0.01 seconds behind American Alaysha Johnson, who took victory in 12.50 seconds.
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The victory capped a remarkable season for Johnson, who was competing in her 40th race of the year.
Amusan, a former world record holder, had been confirmed for the Athlos meeting in August and faced a strong line-up in the final race of her season.
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Commonwealth Games champion and world indoor record holder Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas finished third in 12.63 seconds, while Jamaica’s former world champion Danielle Williams also clocked 12.63 seconds to place fourth.
Another Jamaican, Megan Simmonds, was fifth in 12.66 seconds, with American Rayniah Jones rounding out the field in sixth place in 12.83 seconds.
Johnson takes over Athlos crown
Johnson’s victory saw her succeed Masai Russell as the Athlos hurdles champion.
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Russell, the reigning world record holder and Olympic champion, had been confirmed for the London meeting but withdrew earlier in the week, just days after winning the Diamond League and collecting the $150,000 top prize at the World Ultimate Championship.
For Amusan, the London outing brought the curtain down on a season in which she continued to compete at the highest level despite losing her long-standing world record to Russell.
Russell broke Amusan’s four-year hold on the world record when she ran 12.09 seconds at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich, taking three hundredths of a second off the 12.12 seconds set by the Nigerian in the semi-final of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Amusan collects another $75,000 in Budapest
Amusan also finished second behind Russell at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary.
The Nigerian clocked 12.34 seconds in the final, while Russell won in 12.22 seconds to claim the $150,000 top prize. Amusan pocketed $75,000 for finishing second after qualifying for the final with a 12.49-second run in her semi-final.
Russell has now finished ahead of Amusan three consecutive times this season, having also beaten the Nigerian at the Diamond League Final in Brussels, where Amusan finished fourth.
What is Athlos?
Athlos is a professional, female-only track and field series created by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, the husband of 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Serena Williams.
READ ALSO: ‘It’s going to be bloody’ – Amusan warns of tougher women’s hurdles in 2027
The series made its debut at Icahn Stadium in New York City on 26 September, 2024, with a $2.1 million prize purse.
Athletes compete for a top prize of $65,000 in each event, alongside an Athlos crown designed by Tiffany & Co. Competitors are also offered equity in the league.
Explaining the concept, Ohanian told the BBC in May:
“The cash compensates their participation and success, and the equity recognises what we’re building together. If we get this right, it should properly place these amazing athletes on the same level as they are every four years during the Olympics.”
The series was scheduled to expand into a two-day event in 2026, but the New York meeting originally scheduled for 2 October has since been cancelled.
For Amusan, however, the London meeting provided one final strong showing before the Nigerian turns her attention to another season of chasing medals and titles and to retain her place among the world’s elite hurdlers.
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