World record holder Tobi Amusan has pulled out of the women’s 100m hurdles final at this year’s Diamond League in Zurich, The PUNCH reports.
The two-day season finale began on Wednesday and concludes on Thursday (today), with the world’s elite athletes competing for a $50,000 prize in their respective disciplines.
Amusan qualified as the second-ranked hurdler this season with 27 points but has now been replaced by Bahamas star Devynne Charlton.
The final field features Charlton, reigning world champion Danielle Williams and her Jamaican compatriot Ackera Nugent, Dutch runner Nadine Visser, Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji and Selina von Jackowski, along with the American trio Tonea Marshall, Grace Stark and Kendra Harrison.
Amusan, 28, still holds the meet record with her 12.29s run in Zurich in 2022, a performance that secured her second Diamond League title. She went on to win three consecutive crowns between 2021 and 2023.
Her withdrawal is seen as a possible move to preserve fitness for the World Championships in Tokyo next month, after she stumbled at the first hurdle in her last outing in Lausanne, finishing fifth in 12.82s.
In other developments, Nigerian sprinter Favour Ofili has been scratched from the women’s 200m despite meeting the qualifying standard.
However, African men’s 400m hurdles record holder Ezekiel Nathaniel will feature in Zurich. The rising star claimed his first professional victory in Lausanne last week, clocking 48.08s.
Meanwhile, Udodi Onwuzurike, who made his Diamond League debut last week, has also been listed for the men’s 200m final.