*Nathaniel Ezekiel and Udodi Uwazurike to race in 400m hurdles & 200m

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Tobi Amusan’s dream of a third Wanda Diamond League title in Zurich and fourth overall has been put on hold as she dropped out of the 100m women’s hurdles final race of the 2025 edition scheduled to hold this evening in the Swiss city.

Amusan who is the reigning world record holder in the 100m hurdles at 12.12secs won three of her previous final appearances here and was second in standing coming into this final race next only to American Grace Stark.

But by the time entries for the final race were uploaded last night, the Nigerian speedster was conspicuously missing. No reasons were given by the organisers why Amusan will not be running this evening.

A top-level track coach however told THISDAY last night that Amusan may  have dropped out of the race  to avoid aggravating a minor injury that she may have picked up along the way to the final. Amusan holds the meet record here at 12.29secs since September 8, 2022.

“With the World Championships in Tokyo barely 14 days away, no athlete at her level will want to take the risk of running in the Diamond League final. Yes, the  cash ($50,000) and title are tempting, but prestige of  the World Championships is much more than that,” observed the track coach who would not want to be named last night.

In Amusan’s absence, former world record holder, American Kendra Harrison; Jamaican Ackera Nugent; American Tonea Marshall; Swiss girl, Ditaji Kambundji; Dutch Nadine Visser and another Swiss, Selina Van Jackowski will light up the Zurich skyline with great form this evening. 

American Masai Russell who has the world leading time of 12.17secs this year and was tipped for the top spot is also not in the lineup like Amusan. This therefore has thrown the top prize open for the picking.

The other Nigerians listed to compete in the Diamond League final this evening include NCAA 400m hurdles champion, Nathaniel Ezekiel and Udodi Uwazurike. While Uwazurike is listed to run the Men’s 200m from lane 1, Ezekiel who won his first ever Diamond League race in Lausanne last week with 48.08secs is to run tonight from the fifth lane in the final in Zurich.

Yesterday evening, Sweden’s Armand Duplantis continued his dominance in men’s pole vault as he clinched victory at the Diamond League final in Zurich.

Although he could not add another world record to his name, the Olympic and world champion once again showed why he remains the man to beat in the discipline.

Duplantis cleared his opening four attempts with remarkable ease, sailing past 5.50m, 5.80m, 5.90m, and then 6.00m. His bid to surpass the meet record of 6.08m fell short, as he was unable to complete his final efforts. Still, his consistency was enough to comfortably secure the title.

Greece’s Emmanouil Karalis providing a strong challenge. The Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist matched the standard for much of the evening but eventually settled for second place. American Sam Kendricks, who claimed silver at the Paris Olympics, rounded out the podium in third. Kendricks cleared 5.80m but struggled at the higher bars, bowing out after misses at 5.90m and 6.00m

Speaking after the presentation ceremony, Duplantis said: “I am a human being, I do not break world records every day, there are days when I feel decent and others when I feel bad,” Duplantis said. “Today I felt somewhere in between. Street event like today, I love it. I have five Diamond trophies now, Renaud Lavillenie has seven, so I am getting closer.”

With another title secured, Duplantis edges closer to joining the legends in Diamond League history, while reminding the athletics world that even on an average day, he remains the benchmark.

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