Nigeria’s sprint and hurdles sensation, Tobi Amusan, continued her promising transition into flat sprints by recording her fastest time of the season in the women’s 100 metres at the prestigious Racers Grand Prix, held in Kingston, Jamaica. The World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event, which took place in the early hours of Sunday, attracted a packed stadium of over 15,000 fans.
Amusan, who is more renowned for her prowess in the 100m hurdles, showed encouraging signs of development in the flat sprint event, finishing fourth with an impressive time of 11.18 seconds (+1.8m/s wind), her best performance in the 100m so far this year. Representing the renowned Racers Track Club, the Ogun State-born athlete ran from lane two and had a reaction time of 0.198 seconds.
Despite not making the podium, Amusan’s run was a significant improvement from her earlier races this season. She had opened her 2025 sprint campaign with a time of 11.41s in the heats of the Velocity Fest before progressing to 11.28s in the final. She further improved to 11.26s at the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Florida. Her latest mark of 11.18s on Saturday now stands as her fastest since setting a personal best of 11.10s in Florida back in 2023.
The women’s 100m final was a hotly contested race, won by Jamaica’s Tina Clayton, who blazed to victory in 10.98 seconds from lane three. Her reaction time was 0.179 seconds, and she was visibly emotional post-race, noting that her nerves were similar to when she previously ran 10.9s — a clear indicator of her high expectations.
American sprinter Jacious Sears finished second with an 11.04s clocking from lane four. She had the fastest reaction time in the race at 0.158s, also dipping under the World Championship qualifying standard for the Tokyo 2025 Games. Another Jamaican, 19-year-old Alana Garren Reid, born in 2005, secured third position with a season-best 11.16s, narrowly ahead of Amusan.
Tia Clayton, twin sister of the race winner, was fifth across the line with 11.24s, also recording a solid start with a reaction time of 0.187s. The depth of Jamaican sprinting talent was again on display, as four of the top five finishers were homegrown athletes.
Since relocating to Jamaica in November 2024 to train under the tutelage of legendary coach Glen Mills at Racers Track Club, Amusan has been steadily working on expanding her sprinting capabilities. Sources close to her camp revealed that the move from the United States was driven by a strategic decision to improve her speed base, which is crucial for her main event—the 100m hurdles.
Meanwhile, in other notable events at the Racers Grand Prix, Olympic silver medallist Kishane Thompson delivered a statement victory in the men’s 100m, stopping the clock at a blistering 9.88 seconds in neutral wind conditions. Oblique Seville followed with a personal season’s best of 9.97s to claim second place, while South Africa’s Gift Leotlela and Bayanda Walaza finished third and fourth in 10.04s and 10.06s respectively.
In the 110m men’s hurdles, Jamaica’s Rasheed Broadbell narrowly edged out American star Trey Cunningham, winning in 13.06 seconds against Cunningham’s 13.08s. It was Broadbell’s third win in five encounters with the American, further solidifying his standing ahead of the World Championships.
USA’s Alia Armstrong tied the meeting record in the women’s 100m hurdles with a commanding run of 12.54s, ahead of Bahamian star and world indoor champion Devynne Charlton, who posted a season’s best of 12.65s.
In the women’s 200m, reigning world champion Shericka Jackson powered through to win in a season-leading time of 22.53 seconds, drawing loud cheers from the home crowd.
The men’s 200m event, another fan favourite, lived up to its billing as Jamaican national champion Bryan Levell stormed to victory in 19.79s, confirming his rising status on the global sprinting stage.
For Tobi Amusan, however, the steady progression in the 100m signals readiness for what could be a pivotal season as she balances sprinting and hurdling en route to the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo
