World record holder in the 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan

Olamide Abe

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World record holder in the 100m hurdles, Tobi Amusan, will not compete in her trademark event at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston, Jamaica, on Saturday (today), as she lines up instead for the 100m A Final, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The 27-year-old Nigerian will be up against a strong field that includes Jamaica’s Tia and Tina Clayton, Kemba Nelson, Ashanti Moore, and Alana Reid, alongside Americans Mikiah Brisco and Jacious Sears, in what promises to be a highly competitive sprint battle at the National Stadium.

Originally listed to compete in the Women’s 100m B Final, Amusan was later moved into the elite A Final, dubbed Championship Sponsored by KFC.

She heads into the race with a season’s best of 11.28s, recorded at the Velocity Fest 16 in Kingston in March, where she won her heat in 11.41s before clocking the faster time in the final.

That performance marked her first 100m flat race of the year.

Today’s outing will be Amusan’s second flat sprint race of the season and her third since April 2024.

She last competed over the distance at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida, in April 2024, finishing third in 11.26s, a year after she posted her personal best of 11.10s on the same track.

Amusan has shifted focus to flat sprinting in what is shaping to be a transition in her career.

She relocated to Kingston in November 2024 to train under the legendary Glen Mills at Racers Track Club, the same training ground that produced sprint icons such as Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake.

Her move from the United States to Jamaica was said to be spurred by the desire to explore her sprinting potential further.

“I feel like I’m more of a sprinter than a hurdler, and I wasn’t about to let that talent go to waste,” she said.

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“My coach, Lacena Golding-Clarke, and I had that conversation, and after the Olympics, it was a mutual decision.

We looked at all the options and agreed that Racers Track Club was the best place for me.”

The Nigerian star has since embraced her new training base and credited Mills for his tailored approach to her development.

“It’s been great. The way Coach Mills trains is similar to what I’ve done over the years.

“I’m a fragile athlete; I can’t take a daily beating, so it takes a very special coach to work with someone like me,” she said.

Despite a minor setback in training earlier in the year, Amusan said she is gradually returning to form.

“I’m taking it one day at a time. I had a little hiccup in training, but things have been going well, and I’m excited for the rest of the season,” she added.

Her switch from hurdles to flat sprints has drawn attention within the athletics world, especially as she continues to test her speed and fitness in open 100m races.

“I’ve competed at the Racers Grand Prix for two years in a row and haven’t lost yet,” Amusan said.

“The atmosphere is always electric, the fans bring the energy, and we feed off that. Hopefully, we’ll see a full stadium this time around.”

Meanwhile, fellow Nigerian sprint star Favour Ofili has withdrawn from the 2025 Racers Grand Prix after she had been billed as one of the headline acts for the prestigious meet organised by Racers Track Club founder Glen Mills.

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