Sprint hurdler Tobi Amusan will be absent when the Grand Slam Track series makes its third stop in Philadelphia this weekend.
The meet, scheduled for May 31 to June 1 at Franklin Field, University of Pennsylvania, follows earlier editions held in Kingston, Jamaica, and Miami, Florida. Amusan, who currently holds the world record in the women’s 100m hurdles, was not listed on the official start list released ahead of the competition.
Her absence comes shortly after a record-setting performance at the Rabat Diamond League in Morocco last Sunday, where she clocked 12.45 seconds to smash the previous meet record of 12.51s set by Brianna McNeal in 2018. That run marked Amusan’s season-best after earlier fourth-place finishes in Xiamen and Shanghai.
With the Nigerian star out, attention now shifts to American Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who will make her highly anticipated return to the 100m hurdles. Having dominated the 400m hurdles in recent years, McLaughlin-Levrone is testing the waters in the short hurdles for the first time since 2018, when she recorded a wind-assisted 11.07s during her freshman year at the University of Kentucky.
McLaughlin-Levrone, who has won both in Kingston and Miami, faces a strong lineup in Philadelphia. Leading the challenge is Jamaica’s Ackera Nugent, winner of the Miami leg, and fellow Jamaican Danielle Williams, who stunned the field with victory in Kingston.
The field also features Switzerland’s Ditaji Kambundji, the European indoor 60m hurdles champion and a world indoor silver medallist. Americans Megan Tapper, Tia Jones, Christina Clemons, and Tonea Marshall will also battle for podium spots.
Meanwhile, American record-holder Masai Russell, who clocked a stunning 12.17s in Miami, has been ruled out of the meet due to injury. France’s Cyréna Samba-Mayela is another notable absentee.
In the men’s sprints, former world champion and veteran American sprinter Christian Coleman will make his Grand Slam Track debut in Philadelphia, adding more star power to what promises to be an electrifying weekend of athletics.
