Tobi Amusan Targets Historic Third African 100m Hurdles Title at 2026 Championships in Accra

The 2026 African Senior Athletics Championships are underway at the University of Ghana in Accra, with Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan among the headline acts as she bids to secure a third African women’s 100m hurdles title — a feat that would further consolidate her standing as the continent’s premier hurdler.

Amusan enters the competition with an already formidable record at the African Championships, having accumulated five gold medals across individual and relay disciplines. Her first continental double came at the 2018 championships in Asaba, where she claimed victory in both the 100m hurdles and the women’s 4x100m relay. She replicated that achievement at the 2022 edition in Mauritius, reinforcing her dominance on the African stage.

The Nigerian’s path to a third hurdles title was interrupted at the 2024 championships in Douala, where she withdrew from the individual event for personal reasons. Her absence allowed Liberia’s Ebony Morrison to claim the title in a championship record time of 12.7 seconds. Amusan did, however, remain involved in the relay, contributing to Nigeria’s gold medal in the women’s 4x100m event despite sitting out the hurdles race.

Most recently, Amusan won a silver medal at the Tokyo 2025 World Athletics Championships — Nigeria’s only medal from that competition. She also enters 2026 in strong global form, having secured a top-five position in the World Athletics rankings earlier this year.

While Amusan is considered the clear favourite in Accra, she will not be without domestic competition. Fellow Nigerian Adaobi Tabugbo arrives in notable form after recording a personal best of 12.87 seconds and previously featured alongside Amusan in Nigeria’s relay gold-winning team. Janet Sunday, meanwhile, will be making her first major international senior championship appearance after posting a personal best of 13.67 seconds at the AFN Golden League in Benin earlier this year.

The women’s 100m hurdles heats are scheduled for 5:30 PM on 12 May, with the final set for 4:45 PM on 13 May. Should Amusan progress and claim gold, it would mark her third African individual 100m hurdles title and add another chapter to a career that already includes a world record in the event.