Masai Russell breaks 100m hurdles world record with 12.09 in Zurich

Masai Russell completed an extraordinary night of athletics at the 2026 Zurich Diamond League by storming to a women’s 100m hurdles world record of 12.09 at the Letzigrund Stadium on Thursday, August 27.

The American Olympic champion produced a superb finish in windless conditions, pulling clear over the final hurdle to take three hundredths of a second off Tobi Amusan’s previous world record of 12.12, set during the semifinals of the 2022 World Championships in Eugene. Amusan was alongside Russell in Zurich and finished second in a season’s best of 12.23.

Russell remained close to Amusan through the opening section of the race before gaining control during the closing hurdles. The 26-year-old cleared the last barrier cleanly and accelerated through the line, establishing world, Diamond League and Zurich meeting records.

Her 12.09 improved her previous personal best by five hundredths. Russell had moved to second on the world all-time list when she clocked 12.14 in Xiamen on May 23 and had subsequently run 12.20 in Monaco and 12.27 to win at the Lausanne Diamond League six days before her historic performance in Zurich.

Russell’s performance delivered the second world record of a remarkable evening at the Letzigrund. Little more than half an hour earlier, Brazil’s Alison dos Santos had lowered Karsten Warholm’s men’s 400m hurdles world record from 45.94 to 45.80.

Amusan’s 12.23 secured second place, while Dutch record-holder Nadine Visser produced a season’s best of 12.34 for third. Two-time world champion Danielle Williams finished fourth in 12.56, ahead of fellow Jamaican Ackera Nugent in 12.69.

Women’s 100m hurdles results

Wind: 0.0 m/s

SEE FULL RESULTS HERE.