Nigeria’s sprint queen and world record holder in the women’s 100 metres hurdles, Tobi Amusan, has been officially listed to compete at the opening leg of the 2025 Diamond League in Xiamen, China, as she kicks off her campaign for another season of global dominance. The prestigious athletics meet, scheduled for April 26 at the Egret Stadium, promises fireworks with a loaded line-up of top-tier athletes in both track and field events.
Amusan, who holds the world record of 12.12 seconds set in 2022, will be making her first Diamond League appearance of the year in what is expected to be a fiercely contested hurdles event. The competition marks the third edition of the Xiamen leg, and it features nine track and seven field events as part of the main programme. The Nigerian star is set to square off against a formidable field that includes some of the best hurdlers on the planet.
Among those confirmed to battle Amusan for supremacy on the hurdles are Bahamian speedster Devynne Charlton, who holds the world indoor record in the 60m hurdles and is currently ranked seventh globally, Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, a world champion with an impressive personal best of 12.32 seconds, and American challengers Grace Stark, Tonea Marshall, and Olympic silver medalist Nia Ali. The field, stacked with medal contenders and proven winners, sets the stage for one of the most competitive races of the season.
Amusan heads into the Xiamen Meeting in confident form, having begun her season with a win at the Velocity Fest 16 in Jamaica. There, she claimed victory in the women’s 100 metres final with a time of 11.28 seconds under slight headwind conditions, finishing ahead of Jamaican youngster Serena Cole (11.45) and seasoned Bahamian sprinter Anthonique Strachan (11.46). That race, held last Saturday, marked her return to competition after a lengthy layoff following her outing at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
It was also Amusan’s first major appearance since switching training bases to the Racers Track Club in Kingston, Jamaica—a move widely seen as part of her efforts to fine-tune her preparations for the intense season ahead. Her last outing in Xiamen came in 2024, where she finished fifth with a season’s best of 12.58 seconds. The race was won by Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn in 12.45 seconds, while Charlton and France’s Cyréna Samba-Mayela also finished ahead of the Nigerian.
This year, however, Amusan will be looking to not only improve on that performance but also make a bold statement early in the season as she sets her sights on the World Athletics Championships slated for Tokyo in September, and the Diamond League Final in Zurich come August. With her trademark explosiveness and renewed focus, the 27-year-old remains one of the sport’s most watched athletes, and her presence on the start list has already generated buzz among athletics fans worldwide.
Joining her in Xiamen are several other Olympic and world champions, further elevating the profile of the event. Swedish pole vault star Mondo Duplantis, Ukrainian high jump sensation Yaroslava Mahuchikh, American sprint hurdler Grant Holloway, and Botswana’s Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo are among the global stars confirmed to open their outdoor seasons at the Chinese leg of the Diamond League.
As Amusan steps back into the global spotlight, the eyes of Nigerians and athletics enthusiasts across the world will be fixed on Xiamen to see how the record holder fares in her bid to reclaim dominance and lay a solid foundation for another remarkable season.
