Tobi Amusan Earns $35,000 After Finishing Second At Athlos London

Nigerian hurdler, Tobi Amusan earned $35,000 after finishing second in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Athlos meeting in London on Friday, September 18

Amusan clocked 12.51 seconds with a 1.2m/s tailwind, finishing 0.01 seconds behind American Alaysha Johnson, who won in 12.50 seconds. The race marked Johnson’s 40th of the season and ended Amusan’s campaign.

The meeting was held at StoneX Stadium in Barnet, where Amusan competed against a strong field after her participation was confirmed in August.

Bahamas Commonwealth Games champion and world indoor record holder Devynne Charlton finished third in 12.63 seconds, while Jamaica’s former world champion Danielle Williams also ran 12.63 seconds to finish fourth.

Jamaica’s Megan Simmonds placed fifth in 12.66 seconds, while American Rayniah Jones finished sixth in 12.83 seconds.

Johnson succeeded Masai Russell as the Athlos hurdles champion after the Olympic champion and world record holder withdrew from the meeting earlier in the week. Russell had been confirmed for the event after winning the Diamond League and the $150,000 World Ultimate Championship.

The result ended a season in which Amusan continued to compete at the highest level despite losing her long-standing world record to Russell. The American ran 12.09 seconds at the Letzigrund Stadium in Zurich to break Amusan’s 12.12-second mark, set in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. Amusan had held the world record for four years.

Amusan also finished second to Russell at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest, Hungary. The Nigerian clocked 12.34 seconds against Russell’s 12.22 seconds and earned $75,000. She reached the final after finishing second in her semi-final in 12.49 seconds.

Russell has now beaten Amusan three times in a row this season, including at the Diamond League Final in Brussels, where Amusan finished fourth.

Athlos is a professional female-only track and field series created by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The series held its first meeting at Icahn Stadium in New York City on September 26, 2024, and has a total prize purse of $2.1 million. Athletes compete for a top prize of $65,000 in each event, as well as an Athlos crown designed by Tiffany & Co.

Athlos had planned to expand to a two-day event in 2026, but organisers cancelled the New York meeting scheduled for October 2.