Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan Bags $75,000 After Brilliant Budapest Silver

Nigeria’s sprint hurdles queen Tobi Amusan delivered another world-class performance on Friday, winning silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest and earning a $75,000 prize in the richest track and field event ever staged.

Amusan clocked 12.34 seconds in a fiercely contested final, finishing behind American star Masai Russell, who extended her remarkable unbeaten season with a winning time of 12.22 seconds. Dutch hurdler Nadine Visser completed the podium in 12.39 seconds. The result earned Amusan the runner-up prize of $75,000, while Russell collected the championship’s $150,000 top award.

The Nigerian had earlier qualified impressively by finishing second in her semifinal in 12.49 seconds, confirming her place among the elite eight in the championship’s opening-day showpiece. She produced another strong start in the final, but Russell’s explosive finish proved decisive over the closing metres.

The Ultimate Championship, being held in Budapest from 11–13 September, marks a new era for international athletics. Created by World Athletics as a biennial competition, the event brings together Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners and the season’s highest-ranked athletes, with a record $10 million prize fund—the largest in the sport’s history.

Although Amusan narrowly missed the inaugural title, her silver continues an impressive comeback after an injury-disrupted period and reaffirms her place among the world’s leading hurdlers. The former world champion and former world record holder has consistently returned to medal contention against a new generation led by Russell, whose 12.09-second world record earlier this season reshaped the event.

For Team Nigeria, Amusan’s podium finish provides an encouraging start to the championship and reinforces the country’s reputation as a global force in sprint hurdles. Her performance also comes at a time when Nigerian athletics is seeking renewed momentum ahead of the 2027 World Championships and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle.

Beyond the silver medal and prize money, Amusan’s performance reflects the changing landscape of athletics, where elite competition is now matched by unprecedented financial rewards. As the Ultimate Championship debuts with record-breaking prize purses, athletes are competing not only for global prestige but also for a new commercial future that is reshaping the sport.