Nigerian athlete, Tobi Amusan has written another chapter in her remarkable career, rising to third in the latest World Athletics women’s 100m hurdles rankings.
Tobi Amusan’s silver medal at the World Championships in Tokyo pushed her from ninth to third, making her Nigeria’s top-ranked athlete at the moment.
The 28-year-old, already the world record holder in the event, now sits just behind the United States’ Grace Stark, who leads the pack, and Switzerland’s new world champion Ditaji Kambundji in second place.
It was not just in her specialist event that Amusan moved up. She also made a huge leap in the global women’s rankings, climbing from 68th to 28th overall. That jump of 40 places makes her the only Nigerian woman inside the world’s top 100 after Favour Ofili dropped out. Ofili’s switch of allegiance to Turkey, coupled with her absence in Tokyo, opened the way for Amusan to stand alone.
There was also plenty of good news for Ezekiel Nathaniel. The 22-year-old 400m hurdler has been one of Nigeria’s brightest lights this season, breaking the national record five times in 2025. His consistency earned him a climb from 59th to 15th overall in the global rankings.
He remains fifth in his event, holding his place behind new world champion Rai Benjamin of the United States, Norway’s Karsten Warholm, Brazil’s Alison dos Santos, and Qatar’s Abderrahman Samba. The only switch among that group saw Benjamin edge above Warholm after the Norwegian missed the podium in Tokyo.
Shot put specialist Chukwuebuka Enekwechi also broke new ground. After finishing fifth at the World Championships, he cracked the world’s top 100, moving to 99th overall. In the men’s shot put rankings, he sits seventh, with his season highlighted by a historic 22.10m throw at the Prefontaine Classic in May, making him the first African to cross the 22m barrier.
On the track, Kanyinsola Ajayi made one of the most dramatic climbs. The Auburn University sprinter, who placed sixth in the men’s 100m final, jumped from 29th to 13th in the event rankings.
His overall position skyrocketed from 417th to 171st, a remarkable 246-place leap. His teammate, Isreal Okon, also made progress after winning his opening heat before falling short in the semi-finals. He is now ranked 38th in the 100m and 550th globally. Rising star Udodi Onwuzurike improved too, moving to 25th in the 200m, while staying 72nd in the 100m and 463rd overall.
Other Nigerians recorded more modest shifts. Chidi Okezie and Samuel Ogazi are 32nd and 38th in the men’s 400m. Long jumper Charles Godfred is 38th in his discipline.
For the women, Ese Brume slipped to 28th in the long jump and 800th globally after her early Tokyo exit. Teenage sensation Prestina Ochonogor sits 42nd in the same event. Discus athletes Chioma Onyekwere-Lyons and Obiageri Amaechi are placed 25th and 30th, while hammer thrower Sade Olatoye holds 32nd. In the sprints, Rosemary Chukwuma stands 57th in the women’s 100m and 750th overall.
At the very top of the global rankings, Sweden’s Armand Duplantis remains the undisputed No. 1 with 1,638 points. He leads Rai Benjamin by 119 points and American 200m world champion Noah Lyles by 123.
On the women’s side, Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet retained her lead after winning gold in both the 5,000m and 10,000m in Tokyo. American sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden jumped into second following her victories in the 100m and 200m, while Faith Kipyegon of Kenya dropped to third.