Reigning Olympic 100m hurdles champion, America’s Masai Russell, at the weekend, declared her determination to break the world record after storming to a lifetime best of 12.14 seconds at the Diamond League meeting in Xiamen.

The performance, which also set a new meeting record and world lead, was the fastest time in the event since Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan ran 12.12 to claim the world title in Oregon, United States, in 2022.

Russell’s victory was her second straight Diamond League triumph this season, following her 12.25-second win in Shanghai last week.

Amusan finished second in Xiamen with a season’s best of 12.28, while reigning World Indoor 60m hurdles champion and record holder Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas placed third in 12.37, setting a new national record.

After the race, Russell was jubilant: “I am feeling good. I need to see it. I haven’t seen the race yet. I’m feeling blessed. I’ve been saying all year that I’m gonna break the world record. I don’t know when it’s gonna happen, but I keep getting closer and closer. I am blessed. I’m ecstatic. All the hard work is truly showing.”

Meanwhile, Kenya’s sprint star Ferdinand Omanyala has expressed his delight after storming to victory in the men’s 100m in Xiamen, where he clocked a season’s best of 9.94 seconds.

The African record holder, who set a blistering 9.77-second record in 2021, claimed his second-ever Diamond League win, adding to his triumph at the Herculis Meeting in Monaco in 2023.

Omanyala’s performance was his fastest time since 2024, when he recorded 9.79 seconds at the Kenyan National Trials. The victory also marked a strong comeback after finishing second to South Africa’s Gift Leotlela in Shanghai last week. Leotlela finished runner-up in Xiamen in 10.00 seconds, while American Trayvon Bromell placed third in 10.03 seconds.