Her rise to sprint hurdle royalty began in 2021 when she stormed to a 12.42s win in Zurich, making history as the first Nigerian to win a Diamond League title. In 2022, she defended her crown with a stunning 12.29s, setting a meeting record and capping a year where she also broke the world record (12.12s) at the World Championships. By 2023, she completed a rare three-peat, clocking 12.33s in Eugene. Now imagine going up against such an athlete and winning! How must that feel? What does it take? Grace Stark witnessed the speed and power when the two lined up in the Paris Diamond League. Stark was faster, and she won the race. What does she have to say about it?

“Yeah, you know, I’m just super excited. I have a lot of people here for me, and I wanted to make them proud. I wanted to stay more poised and composed from last week, so yeah, I just wanted to finish the race strong.” These were Grace Stark’s words as she reflected on her race in a post-race interview on June 20, found at World Athletics’ YouTube Channel. The interviewer commented on the close finish with Tobi Amusan and Stark’s 12.21.

Stark clocked a time of 12.21 seconds to win the 100 m Hurdles, setting a meet record in the Meeting de Paris, i.e., The Paris Diamond League. She received tough competition from Tobi Amusan, three Diamond League finals winner, who finished just three hundredths behind her. Reflecting on that, she said in the interview, ” Yeah, and you know, I wanted to break into the 12.2s. I felt like it was something coming and something that we’ve been training for. I try to just focus on myself. There are so many talented girls, so it’s hard to just focus on one person. So I just try and focus on myself, and you know, it worked today.”

The 2025 U.S. Track & Field Trials will take place at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from July 31 to August 3, 2025. This meet will determine Team USA for the 2025 World Athletics Championships. The interview reminded the 24-year-old of that, but she is focused on another race. “I have Monaco before that, so I want to focus on Monaco and then take my time and work on USAs. You know, just taking it one race at a time and focusing on myself,” she said.

The Moanco Diamond League, also called, Herculis EBS Meeting, will take place in Stade Louis II on July 11, 2025. Seeing how she has set the track on fire in her college days and now has carried that very form to her professional track and field career, we might see another win for her in Monaco.

No stopping Grace Stark

Grace Stark’s collegiate career at the University of Florida was defined by dominance and resilience. In 2022, she won the NCAA Indoor Championship in the 60m hurdles, tying the collegiate record at 7.78 seconds. A serious knee injury later that year nearly ended her season, but she returned stronger. In 2024, she won both SEC indoor and outdoor titles and claimed the NCAA Outdoor 100m hurdles championship with a personal best of 12.47 seconds, leading Florida to its first win in that event in over three decades.

She is following this form in her 2025 season as well. Stark opened her outdoor season at the Tom Jones Memorial, clocking 12.51 seconds, followed by a runner-up finish at the Xiamen Diamond League and a victory in Shanghai, where she set a meet record of 12.42 seconds, defeating former world champions Tobi Amusan and Danielle Williams. Her pace continued to accelerate. At the Stockholm Diamond League, Stark ran 12.33 seconds, setting another meet record and solidifying her status as one of the fastest hurdlers in the world.

And thus, it is safe to say that Grace Stark is no longer just a college star. She’s proving she belongs with the best in the world.