World record holder Tobi Amusan insists she is running free of pressure despite a blistering campaign that gathered fresh momentum with victory at the Paris Diamond League.

The Nigerian hurdler stormed to the women’s 100m hurdles title in the French capital, equalling her season’s best of 12.28 seconds. She held off Americans Grace Stark, who clocked 12.38, and Alaysha Johnson, third in 12.39, to secure another statement win in a year that is rapidly building towards its climax.

Paris marked the third time Amusan has stopped the clock at 12.28 this season, matching the times she produced in Xiamen and Rabat on the Diamond League circuit. It was also her second Diamond League victory of the year, adding to her Rabat success, and followed triumphs at the New Taipei City Athletics Open and the African Championships in Botswana.

Those results have re-established the 29-year-old among the event’s dominant forces. She now owns the second-fastest time in the world this season, behind American Masai Russell’s 12.14, and is firmly in contention for another Diamond League crown after winning three straight titles from 2021 to 2023.

Yet Amusan is adamant that expectations and external noise are not shaping her mindset.

“I do not like the warm weather at all, but whatever the weather, I was going to come out here and kill it. My execution was alright. I am just happy to be injury free,” she told the Diamond League organisers after her race in Paris.

“The pressure does not get to me. I have grace, a very strong support system around me, and that finish line. So I am never worried about pressure on the night.”

She described her approach to the sprint hurdles as fluid and instinctive, accepting that not every race will feel perfect technically.

“My approach to the hurdles varies. Sometimes you are thinking about what has just happened. Other days, it is really sloppy and I still come out and run a fast time. I try to take a shot at every race.”

Amusan’s next outing is scheduled for the Prefontaine Classic in the United States, as she continues a campaign that, on current evidence, is being driven more by calm confidence than by the weight of expectation.