Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan has pulled out of the women’s 100m hurdles at the 2025 Wanda Diamond League Final in Zurich, leaving Udodi Onwuzurike and Nathaniel Ezekiel as the country’s remaining representatives, Bold Sports reports.
Amusan, the world record holder and three-time Diamond League champion, was billed to chase a record fourth title on Thursday, but her name has been removed from the start list. She has been replaced by The Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton, the reigning World Indoor 60m hurdles champion.
The withdrawal is a huge blow for Nigerians, but attention now shifts to Ezekiel and Onwuzurike, who will both run on Thursday at Zurich’s iconic Letzigrund Stadium.
At 22, Onwuzurike is the youngest Nigerian in Zurich and goes into a stacked 200m final against Olympic champion Noah Lyles, Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo, and Dominican star Alexander Ogando. The Nigerian scraped into the Final after finishing third in Brussels (20.29s) and benefitting from late withdrawals.
Ezekiel has been one of Nigeria’s breakthrough stars this year. The Baylor University product, also 22, broke the national 400m hurdles record for the fifth time in 2025 with a 47.31s run in Silesia, a mark that ranked in the world’s top five this season.
He earned his ticket to Zurich after withdrawals from Olympic champion Rai Benjamin and season leader Alison dos Santos, but his consistent performances, including third in Eugene, proved he belongs among the best.
Tobi Amusan withdraws from Diamond League Final
Zurich’s 400m hurdles final will be led by Norwegian world record holder Karsten Warholm, who has the season’s world lead of 46.28s, but Ezekiel says he is ready to challenge. No Nigerian has ever reached the podium in Zurich’s men’s 400m hurdles final.
The stakes are high, each event winner will pocket $50,000, the richest prize in Diamond League history, as athletes also chase momentum ahead of the World Championships in Tokyo.
All Nigerian races come up on Thursday, with Ezekiel set for 8:44 p.m. Nigerian time, before Onwuzurike rounds off the country’s campaign in the 200m at 9:39 p.m.
