World 100m hurdles record holder Tobi Amusan has withdrawn from the final of the 2025 Diamond League in Zurich, despite qualifying as one of the season’s top contenders.
The Nigerian athlete amassed 27 points across the season, ranking second overall in the discipline and securing her place in the prestigious final. However, organisers confirmed her withdrawal on Wednesday, with Bahamian hurdler Devynne Charlton named as her replacement.
Amusan, 28, holds the meet record in Zurich with a time of 12.29 seconds, set during her title-winning performance in 2022. She has claimed the Diamond League crown three consecutive times in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
Her absence from this year’s finale has raised speculation about her fitness. During her most recent outing at the Lausanne leg of the Diamond League, Amusan clipped the opening hurdle and finished fifth in a time of 12.82 seconds, well outside her usual form.
With the World Athletics Championships scheduled for next month in Tokyo, Amusan’s withdrawal may be a strategic decision to prioritise recovery and peak preparation.
The women’s 100m hurdles field in Zurich will now feature Charlton alongside reigning world champion Danielle Williams, fellow Jamaican Ackera Nugent, Dutch standout Nadine Visser, Swiss duo Ditaji Kambundji and Selina von Jackowski, and the American trio of Tonea Marshall, Grace Stark, and Kendra Harrison.
Elsewhere, Nigeria’s Ezekiel Nathaniel will compete in the men’s 400m hurdles final. The 21-year-old, who holds the African record in the event, claimed his first professional win in Lausanne last week with a time of 48.08 seconds, an encouraging sign ahead of Zurich.
Sprinter Udodi Onwuzurike, another rising star of Nigerian athletics, has also been listed for the men’s 200m final, following his Diamond League debut last week.
