AfroSports: Tobi Amusan Breaks 100m Hurdles World Record

Amusan, who had already run a new African record of 12.40 seconds in Saturday's heats, said: "I believe in my abilities but I was not expecting a world record at these championships.

AfroSports: Tobi Amusan Breaks 100m Hurdles World Record

Tobi Amusan broke the 100m hurdles world record with a stunning semi-final time of 12.12 seconds – before taking gold two hours later at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The previous record of 12.20 was set in 2016 by American Kendra Harrison.

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Jamaica’s Britany Anderson took silver and Puerto Rico’s Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn got bronze.

Amusan, who had already run a new African record of 12.40 seconds in Saturday’s heats, said: “I believe in my abilities but I was not expecting a world record at these championships.

“I wanted to get out and go. I did what I had to do.”

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Great Britain’s Cindy Sember finished fourth in the semi-final won by Amusan, but qualified for the final with a British record of 12.50, beating Tiffany Porter’s 2014 mark by one hundredth of a second.

It was one of four national records, excluding Amusan’s, run in the semi-finals, with another seven athletes equaling or breaking their personal bests.

“That was a crazy race. I actually thought I was running slow. Tobi was amazing, I can’t deny,” said Sember, who went on to finish fifth in the final.