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Nigeria's 100m hurdle record-holder, Tobi Amusan, stole the show during the debut Jamaica Athletics Invitational on Saturday 11 May.

The 27-year-old ran a world-leading time of 12.40 seconds to win in the country's capital Kingston. She defeated home favorite and reigning world champion Danielle Williams (12.46), with USA's Christina Clemens third in 12.54 seconds.

Amusan's impressive display in Jamaica marks a significant comeback following her setback at the Suzhou Diamond League in late last month, where she suffered disqualification due to a false start.

Now, the Nigerian athlete has claimed the top spot in the world rankings, surpassing American Tonea Marshall, who previously held the world lead with a time of 12.42 seconds in late April.

John Enoh, the Minister of Sports Development for Nigeria, expressed his congratulations on X to commend the pace-setter for her remarkable achievement. “Tobi, you keep making our country proud. Paris Olympics is around the corner, your performance gives us hope just like others, that Nigeria is set to break a jinx. Keep soaring, we are proud of you," he said.



In the women's 100m event, Marie-Josee Ta Lou-Smith, representing Africa, dominated with the only sub-11-second time. Hailing from Ivory Coast, she clocked a remarkable 10.91, ranking as the third-fastest time globally this year, surpassing Jamaica's Krystal Sloley (11.09), who finished second.

Former 100m world champions Fred Kerley and Christian Coleman entered the competition aiming to maintain their strong performances from earlier in the season, particularly in the men’s 200m event. However, Anguilla-born British sprinter Zharnel Hughes had different plans, clinching victory in the half-lap sprint with a season's best time of 19.96. Kerley secured second place with a time of 20.17, while Coleman finished fifth, crossing the line in 20.46.

In the women's 400m hurdles, there emerged yet another world-leading performance, with Rushell Clayton narrowly edging out USA's Anna Cockrell. Clayton, representing Jamaica, recorded a time of 53.72, just four-hundredths of a second ahead of Cockrell.