World champion Danielle Williams and fellow Jamaican Megan Tapper finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in a fast 100m hurdles races at the Diamond League final in Eugene, Oregon on Sunday.

In a race where the top six athletes all ran under 12.5s, 2022 world champion Tobi Amusan clocked a season-s best 12.33 to hold off a fast-finishing Jasmine Camacho Quinn and former world record holder Kendra Harrison, who clocked 12.38 and 12.44, for second and third, respectively.

Williams, who was among the early leaders clocked 12.47 with Tapper close behind in 12.48, the same time as the USA’s Alaysha Johnson.

 

Newly minted two-time world 100m hurdles champion Danielle Wiliams believes she is capable of challenging the world record in her event.

Williams, the 2015 world champion and the 2019 bronze medalist, shocked a stacked field at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last week, winning her second title in 12.43s, her fastest time this year. In claiming victory, she defeated Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, former world record holder Kendra Harrison, who won silver and bronze, respectively.

Williams also defeated Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan, who set the world record of 12.12 at the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon in 2022.

At Wednesday’s press conference ahead of Thursday’s Diamond League meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, Williams was asked whether she believes she can challenge Amusan’s world record, which raised eyebrows when she stormed to victory in her semi-final heat last year.

“From the moment I started getting competitive in the hurdles, many people told me that I have the potential to break the world record. I didn't necessarily believe it at the time. I just thought, you know, you guys are just talking,” said Williams, who has run a lifetime best of 12.32, the second fastest time ever run by a Jamaican woman.

“But the more I go, the more I believe that it is in range.”

Williams, who was third at Jamaica’s national championships in July, revealed she has actually had dreams of setting the world record.

“Funny story, 12.12, the time that Tobi ran to break the record last year, I actually had a dream a few years ago that the world record was going to be 12.12 seconds. I thought it was that was going to be me who's going to break it, but it wasn't,” she said.

“And so I still believe that it is within range. You know, we're all out here, the essence of track and field is running as fast as you can, and so I believe that I can run 12.1 seconds. It's just a lot of things that need to be tweaked to get there, but I think I could get there.”

In Zurich on Thursday, Williams will once again face Camacho-Quinn and Harrison in Zurich in another stacked field that also includes 2019 world champion Nia Ali, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, Tia Jones and Alasyha Johnson.

 

Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent and Danielle Williams, as well as Bahamian Devynne Charlton secured their spot in the women’s 100 metres hurdles final, after safely navigating their respective semi-finals on Wednesday’s fifth day of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

While it was unbridled joy for those three, it was heartbreak for another Jamaican Megan Tapper, as the Olympic medallist placed fourth and her time was not good enough to see her through to tomorrow’s final scheduled for 2:25pm Jamaica time.

Charlton and Tapper both ran from semi-final one, where they placed second and fourth respectively. Charlton, 27, secured the second automatic qualifying spot in 12.49s, behind American Kendra Harrison, who won in 12.33s.

Despite running her heart out, Tapper (12.55s) was out dipped by Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji (12.50s), who progressed to tomorrow’s final as one of the two fastest qualifiers on time ahead of the Jamaican.

The second semi-final was just an exciting with Ackera Nugent leading for most of the way but was pipped on the line by Nigeria’s World Record holder Tobi Amusan. Nugent stopped the clock in 12.60s, behind Amusan’s 12.56s.

The last of the three semi-finals saw Jamaica’s former World Champion Danielle Williams off to a blistering start, but she lost her composure close to the end and had to settle for third in a season’s best 12.50s. Fortunately, for her the time was good enough to progress to the final.

Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn produced a late burst to win in 21.41s, with American Nia Ali (12.49s), just bettering Williams on the line.

 

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Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Brittany Anderson and Megan Tapper all looked comfortable as six Caribbean women safely advanced to the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene on Saturday.

Anderson, who won her first Jamaican national title in June, was first up and comfortably advanced to the semi-finals with 12.60 to win heat one.

There was also a major casualty in the first heat as defending world champion Nia Ali of the USA failed to advance after clipping the ninth hurdle and falling to the track.

Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico was next up, running 12.52 to win heat two ahead of Bahamian world indoor silver medallist Devynne Charlton (12.69).

Jamaican 2015 world champion Danielle Williams finished second in heat three with 12.87 to advance. Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan cruised to a new national record 12.40 to win the heat.

Costa Rica’s Andrea Carolina Vargas ran 13.12 for third in heat four to advance.

Tapper, bronze medallist at the Olympics last year, ran 12.73 to finish second behind American Alia Armstrong (12.48) in heat five and progress.

World leader and world record holder Kendra Harrison of the USA ran 12.60 to win heat six and advance.

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