Ditaji Kambundji wins the sprint hurdles

This is Stuart Weir’s feature on the 100m hurdle final. Stuart is the RBR Senior writer for Europe. He is covering the Tokyo 2025 champs from London. We miss our friend.

Ditaji Kambundji wins the sprint hurdles

To say that the women’s 100m hurdles was stacked would be an understatement! The final included the defending world champion (Danielle Williams), the reigning Olympic Champion (Masai Russell), the 2025 World Indoor champion (Devynne Charlton) and in fact the top four from the World Indoors plus the World record holder (Tobi Amusen). The recently crowned Diamond League champion (Ackera Nugent) had gone out in the semi-finals, the ninth fastest with 8 in the final. The fastest in the semi-finals were  Amusen (12.36) and Grace Stark (12.37). Six athletes ran 12.45 or under in the 3 semi-finals.

If the semi-finals were fast, the final was faster.  The top four were

1 Ditaji Kambundji 12.24

2 Tobi Amusen 12.29

3 Grace Stark 12.34

4 Masai Russell 12.44

Nadine Visser ran 12.56 and was eighth! Danielle Williams was fastest in the prelims (12.40) and impressive in the semi-finals but the defending champion’s challenge finished when she hit hurdle two.

The event has always fascinated me because of the way it combines speed with the jeopardy. These are the 8 previous winners that I have been privileged to watch live

2023 Danielle Williams 12.43

2022 Tobi Amusen 12.06w

2019 Nia Ali 12.34

2017 Sally Pearson 12.59

2015 Danielle Williams 12.57

2013 Briana Rollins 12.44

2011 Sally Pearson 12.28

2009 Brigitte Foster-Hylton 12.51

It is interesting to note that it would be 14 years before Sally Pearson’s 12.28 was bettered and that Nadine Visser’s 12.56 would have won in 2015 and 2017.

Before this season Ditaji Kambundji was often seen as Mujinga’s younger sister.  In 2025 with the European Indoor title, a silver at the World Indoors and gold at the Worlds, the girl has come of age. She commented on her win: “It’s crazy. I was giving my all. I tried to focus on myself. I was calm and pretty collected. I knew I had it in me. You could see on my face how happy I was when I realised I won. I was surprised. I thought that I was able to do it, but I was surprised because I knew all my competitors were able to win. This is something I have been working for and to run it the way I wanted to is special. Getting a personal best is nice but all that mattered today…