Masai Russell

Masai Russell
OLY
Russell at the 2024 United States Olympic trials
Personal information
Born (2000-06-17) June 17, 2000 (age 24)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Height5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[1]
Sport
Country United States
SportAthletics/Track
Event(s)100 meters hurdles, 400 meters hurdles, 60 metres hurdles
College teamKentucky Wildcats
Coached byLonnie Greene
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals2024 Paris
100 mH,  Gold
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris 100 m hurdles

Masai Russell OLY[citation needed] (born June 17, 2000) 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 U.S. NCAA Record holder in the 100 m hurdles.[2]

Russell holds personal bests of 12.25 seconds over 100 m hurdles which is tied for #5 of all time, 7.75 seconds over 60 metres hurdles, which is #13 of all time and 54.66 seconds over 400 metres hurdles.

Career

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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.

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.[4] In April, she ran a collegiate record of 12.36s over 100 m hurdles at the Texas Relays.[5] In June, she placed second in both the 100 m hurdles and 400 m hurdles at the 2023 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.[6][7] At the 2023 USA Outdoor Championships, Russell finished third qualifying to represent the United States at the World Championships in Budapest.[8] She made the semi-finals where she didn't finish after hitting a hurdle.[9]

Russell finished fourth in the 60 m hurdles at the 2024 World Indoor Championships.[10] 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.[11] At the Olympics, Russell won gold with a time of 12.33s, narrowly beating Cyrena Samba-Mayela.[12][13] She ended her 2024 season by finishing third at the inaugural Athlos meet.[14]

In September 2024, it was announced that she had signed up for the inaugural season of the Michael Johnson founded Grand Slam Track.[15]

Education

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Masai Russell graduated from Bullis School in 2018.[16] She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Health Science in 2023.[1]

Professional

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International competition

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Representing the  United States
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time Notes
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

1DNF in the semi-finals.

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Masai Russell - Paris 2024". olympics.com. IOC. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  2. ^ "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.
  3. ^ a b "Masai RUSSELL - Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  4. ^ "Masai Russell Breaks Collegiate Record in 60-Meter Hurdles". Kentucky Athletics. January 20, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  5. ^ "Russell breaks collegiate 100m hurdles record at Texas Relays". World Athletics. April 2, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  6. ^ "Women 100 M Hurdles (Final)". flashresults.ncaa.com. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  7. ^ "Women 400 M Hurdles (Final)". flashresults.ncaa.org. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  8. ^ "Masai Russell Qualifies For World Championships, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone Wins 400m National Championship". Kentucky Athletics. July 8, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Etta, Devin (July 1, 2024). "Potomac's Masai Russell Qualifies for Olympics After Breaking Trials Record". mymcm. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Turnbull, Simon (October 19, 2024). "Russell's Olympic title win launches legacy in the making". World Athletics. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  14. ^ Dredge, Mark (September 27, 2024). "ATHLOS 2024: An Incredible Night Of Women's Track Racing in NYC". The Running Channel. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  15. ^ "Entire Olympic 100m hurdles podium signs for Grand Slam Track". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  16. ^ "Bullis Alumnus Masai Russell Wins Olympic Gold in Women's 100m Hurdles". www.bullis.org. August 8, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  17. ^ "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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