Masai Russell

Masai Russell
OLY
Russell at the 2024 United States Olympic trials
Personal information
Born (2000-06-17) June 17, 2000
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[1]
Sport
Country United States
SportAthletics/Track
Events
100 meters hurdles, 400 meters hurdles, 60 metres hurdles
College teamKentucky Wildcats (2021–2023)
TeamNike
Turned pro
June 2023
Coached byLonnie Greene
Achievements and titles
2024 Paris
100 mH,  Gold
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2024 Paris100 m hurdles

Masai Russell (/məˈsaɪ/ ⓘ mə-SY; born June 17, 2000)[2] is an American track and field sprinter and hurdler. She won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 100 m hurdles event. Russell is the world record holder in the 100 m hurdles, running a time of 12.09 seconds on August 27, 2026.

In addition to her world record, Russell holds personal bests of 7.74 seconds over the 60-meter hurdles, which is tied for thirteenth-fastest of all time, and 54.66 seconds over the 400-meter hurdles.

Career

In 2021, Russell ran her first sub-13s 100 m hurdles in placing second in her heat at the SEC Championships. She went on to place sixth in the final.[3] Later that year, Russell ran 12.93s to make the final of the NCAA Division I Championships, where she finished sixth. She also placed fourth in the 400 meter hurdles with a time of 56.18s, a personal best at the time.[4][5][6]

At the 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships, Russell placed third in the 100 m hurdles and fourth in the 400 m hurdles.[3]

In 2023, Russell broke the collegiate record for the 60 m hurdles, running 7.75s to beat Grace Stark's time of 7.78s set the year before.[7][8] In April, she ran a collegiate/NCAA record of 12.36s over 100 m hurdles at the Texas Relays.[9][10] In June, she placed second in both the 100 m hurdles and 400 m hurdles at the 2023 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.[11][12] After the conclusion of the 2023 NCAA season, Russell turned professional.[13] At the 2023 USA Outdoor Championships, Russell finished third qualifying to represent the United States at the World Championships in Budapest.[14] She made the semi-finals, but did not finish there after hitting a hurdle.[15]

Russell finished fourth in the 60 m hurdles at the 2024 World Indoor Championships.[16] In April 2024, she signed a sponsorship deal with Nike after previously being signed with Gymshark.[17][18] She placed first at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 100 m hurdles in a personal best time of 12.25 to qualify her for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[19] At the Olympics, Russell won gold with a time of 12.33s, narrowly beating Cyréna Samba-Mayela.[20][21] In September 2024, it was announced that Russell had signed up for the inaugural season of the Michael Johnson-founded Grand Slam Track.[22] She ended her 2024 season by finishing third at the inaugural Athlos meet.[23]

On May 2, 2025, she ran the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 12.17 seconds, an American record, at the 2025 Miami Grand Slam meet.[24][25] On July 5, she ran to fourth place at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic.[26] On August 2, she competed in the 2025 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and won the gold medal with a time of 12.22 seconds.[27][28] At the 2025 World Athletics Championships, Russell won both her heat and semi-final race but only finished fourth in the final.[29][30] She ended the season with winning the 2025 Athlos meet for the 100 m hurdles with a wind-assisted 12.52 seconds.[31]

In May 2026, Russell further improved on her personal best to 12.14 seconds after winning the event at the Xiamen Diamond League.[32][33] On June 24, 2026, Russell competed in the Los Angeles Grand Prix in the 100 meter hurdles and won with a time of 12.26 seconds.[34][35][36] On July 4, she won the same event at the 2026 Prefontaine Classic with a time of 12.24, equaling a meet record.[37]

On August 27, 2026, Russell won the 100 m hurdles in the 2026 Zürich Diamond League with a world record time of 12.09 seconds, one of two world records set at that meet.[38][39][40] This broke the previous record time of 12.12s by Tobi Amusan back in 2022.[41][42] The victory marked her 11th consecutive win in the event. Reflecting on her performance, Russell suggested that a stronger tailwind could have pushed her under the 12-second barrier. "If we get a 1.9 wind behind my back, that could have been a sub-12 race," she noted, adding, "Everything that I’ve said that I wanted to do has come into fruition, so why not say I think I can be the first one to run sub-12?"[43][44]

Education

Russell graduated from Bullis School in 2018.[45] She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Health Science in 2023.[1]

Competition results

Information taken from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.[3]

Circuit performances

Grand Slam Track results[46]
SlamRace groupEventPl.TimePrize money
2025 Kingston SlamShort hurdles 100 m hurdles5th12.78US$15,000
100 m5th11.86
2025 Miami SlamShort hurdles 100 m hurdles1st12.17US$50,000
100 m4th11.40

National championships

YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTimeNotes
2021 US Olympic Trials Eugene, Oregon 6th (sf) 400 Meters Hurdles 58.00
2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, Oregon 6th 400 Meters Hurdles 55.66
2023 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, Oregon 3rd 100 Meters Hurdles 12.46
2024 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships Albuquerque, New Mexico 3rd 60 Meters Hurdles 7.80
US Olympic Trials Eugene, Oregon 1st 100 Meters Hurdles 12.25
2025 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships New York, New York 1st 60 Meters Hurdles 7.74
USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships Eugene, Oregon 1st 100 Meters Hurdles 12.22

International competition

Representing the  United States
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventTimeNotes
2017 Pan American U20 Championships Trujillo, Peru 3rd 400 m hurdles 57.55
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 9th (h) 100 m hurdles 12.601
2024 World Indoor Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom 4th 60 m hurdles 7.81
Olympic Games Paris, France 1st 100 m hurdles 12.33
2025 World Championships Tokyo, Japan 4th 100 m hurdles 12.44

1DNF in the semi-finals.

1212.312.612.913.213.513.814.120182020202220242026100 meter hurdles progression(sec)
View chart definition.

Awards

References

  1. 1 2 "Masai Russell - Paris 2024". olympics.com. IOC. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  2. ↑ "RUSSELL Masai". 2025. Retrieved January 13, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Masai RUSSELL - Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Results: Women 100 M Hurdles (Final)". Flash Results. June 12, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Results: Women 400 M Hurdles (Final)". Flash Results. June 12, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  6. ↑ Most, Jake (June 12, 2021). "Masai Russell, Faith Ross, Celera Barnes, 4×400 Relay Tally at NCAA Track and Field Championships". UK Athletics. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  7. ↑ "Masai Russell Breaks Collegiate Record in 60-Meter Hurdles". Kentucky Athletics. January 20, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Strong start to World Indoor Tour, Russell and Alfred make early season statements". World Athletics. January 22, 2023. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Russell breaks collegiate 100m hurdles record at Texas Relays". World Athletics. April 2, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  10. ↑ "L'Américaine Masai Russell démarre fort aux Texas Relays" [American Masai Russell starts strong at Texas Relays]. L'Équipe (in French). April 1, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Women 100 M Hurdles (Final)". flashresults.ncaa.com. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Women 400 M Hurdles (Final)". flashresults.ncaa.org. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Masai Russell: A look at historic debut that won her USATF's 2024 Breakthrough Performer". Pulse Sports Kenya. December 11, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Masai Russell Qualifies For World Championships, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Wins 400m National Championship". Kentucky Athletics. July 8, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  15. ↑ Chawla, Harshita (August 24, 2023). "US Collegiate Record Holder in 100m Hurdles Faces Upsetting Fate at World Athletics Championship 2023". Essentially Sports. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  16. ↑ Rowbottom, Mike (March 3, 2024). "Charlton lowers world 60m hurdles record to 7.65 for global gold in Glasgow". World Athletics. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  17. ↑ Rout, Abhiruchi (April 15, 2024). "NCAA 100m hurdles record holder Masai Russell signs sponsorship deal with Nike". Sportskeeda. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  18. ↑ "'Why should I care? - Masai Russell on the challenges of competing without a sponsor". Pulse Sports Kenya. October 12, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  19. ↑ Etta, Devin (July 1, 2024). "Potomac's Masai Russell Qualifies for Olympics After Breaking Trials Record". mymcm. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  20. ↑ de Villiers, Ockert (August 10, 2024). "Paris 2024 athletics: USA's Masai Russell wins maiden Olympic 100m hurdles gold medal in photo finish". olympics.com. IOC. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  21. ↑ Turnbull, Simon (October 19, 2024). "Russell's Olympic title win launches legacy in the making". World Athletics. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  22. ↑ "Entire Olympic 100m hurdles podium signs for Grand Slam Track". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  23. ↑ Dredge, Mark (September 27, 2024). "ATHLOS 2024: An Incredible Night Of Women's Track Racing in NYC". The Running Channel. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  24. ↑ Geoghegan, Zack (May 4, 2025). "Former Kentucky track star Masai Russell has made American history". On3. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Russell and Jones jump to No.2 and No.3 all time in historic hurdles clash in Miami". World Athletics. May 3, 2025. Retrieved May 3, 2025.
  26. ↑ Zaccardi, Nick (July 5, 2025). "2025 Prefontaine Classic Results". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  27. ↑ Ellis, R.R. (August 3, 2025). "Here's What Happened On Day 3 Of The USATF Championships - FloTrack". FloTrack. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Here Are the Results from the 2025 USATF Championships". Runner's World. August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  29. ↑ Majendie, Matt (September 15, 2025). "Kambundji shocks in Tokyo as Swiss peaks to take 100m hurdles gold". World Athletics. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  30. ↑ Kano, Shintaro (September 15, 2025). "World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025: Surprise, surprise - Ditaji Kambundji comes out of nowhere to win women's 100m hurdles gold". Olympics. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Brown, Davis-Woodhall and Hodgkinson shine at Athlos". World Athletics. October 11, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Xiamen Diamond League - 100m Hurdles Women Results" (PDF). World Athletics. May 23, 2026. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 23, 2026. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  33. ↑ Goulding, Grace; Nelsen, Matt (July 3, 2026). "Exclusive: Paris 2024 hurdles Olympic champion Masai Russell: "It's not a secret that I'm on world-record watch"". Olympics. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  34. ↑ "11 Reigning World and Olympic Champions Headline the LA Grand Prix". USATF. May 15, 2026. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Olympic champions Rogers and Russell face tough opposition at Los Angeles Grand Prix". World Athletics. June 11, 2026. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  36. ↑ "USATF LA Grand Prix | Results". World Athletics. June 13, 2026. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Records fall as top-class clashes light up Eugene". World Athletics. July 4, 2026. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  38. ↑ Imbo, Will (August 27, 2026). "Masai Russell breaks women's 100m hurdles world record with 12.09 at 2026 Zurich Diamond League". Olympics. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  39. ↑ Zaccardi, Nick (August 27, 2026). "Masai Russell breaks 100m hurdles world record in Zurich". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  40. ↑ Nassuna, Margaret (August 27, 2026). "Masai Russell Sets 100m World Record At Diamond League Zurich". FloTrack. Retrieved August 27, 2026.
  41. ↑ Fasetire, Sam O'Femi (August 28, 2026). "Tobi Amusan Takes Consolation From Season's Best Time, After Losing World Record To USA's Masai Russell". Sports247 Nigeria. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  42. ↑ Nwoke, Chidi Uduma (August 28, 2026). "Masai Russell Breaks Tobi Amusan's 100m Hurdles World Record". Voice of Nigeria. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  43. ↑ Goh, ZK (August 28, 2026). "Masai Russell goes from 'taking the Ls' to world record holder and now wants sub-12: "I don't know what is possible at this point"". Olympics. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Masai Russell Runs 12.09 World Record as Her Perfect Season Continues in the 100m hurdles". LetsRun.com. August 27, 2026. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  45. ↑ "Bullis Alumnus Masai Russell Wins Olympic Gold in Women's 100m Hurdles". www.bullis.org. August 8, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  46. ↑ "Grand Slam Track Results". Grand Slam Track. Retrieved April 5, 2025.
  47. ↑ "McLaughlin-Levrone, Hall, and Russell honored with USATF Wing Awards presented by Greater Orlando Sports Commission". USATF. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
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