Masai Russell is an Olympic gold medalist, and she is not even in her prime! The 24-year-old hurdler has emerged as one of the significant dominant forces in the 100mH category. However, just a few weeks back, she was an unknown entity for most of the track enthusiasts. Of course, she was a regular at the NCAA, but her consistency was something of a headache. Competing in the national championships, Russell always ended up taking the third or the fourth spot. Despite her on-and-off performances, Russell decided to have a go at the Olympic trials. And bam! She is a hero overnight. 

Appearing on ‘The Pivot Podcast’ recently, Russell opened up about gaining the sudden momentum in her career. Russell stated that she was quite bothered by how she won the SEC indoor championships but missed out on the NCAA. The 24-year-old also pointed out how she got a collegiate record under her belt but failed to clinch the SEC outdoor title. Thankfully, during the US Olympic trials, Russell turned up as a changed athlete. She obliterated her competition running at 12.25 sec. time to clinch her Olympic berth. Her heroic efforts made her the fifth fastest woman in the 100mH category.

And guess what? Russell’s prime has not yet kicked in. The Olympic gold medalist said, “And there’s a lot more work to be done. There’s a lot more strength to be, to be put on to myself. I’m, I’m still very small for like my event and I’m only 24… I’m not even in my prime. Right. That they say I’m 24. The prime for women is 27, 28, 29 30.” Having ran 12.33s in Paris for the gold, Russell mentioned that she is now quite confident of breaking the world record. Surely, with time on her side, Russell can easily aim to get past Tobi Amusan, provided she abides by her motto of working hard consistently.

Now, the world record in question here is Tobi Amusan’s time of 12.12s, which the Nigerian athlete set at Eugene in 2022. While her time still needs some more fine-tuning, Russell oozed confidence. The 24-year-old pointed out that the world record before 12.12s was 12.20s. Thus, she is already within the handshaking distance of the previous world record. And the manner in which the American has kept up the tempo post-Paris, things are looking pretty bright.

Masai Russell mesmerizes in Athlos NYC

Alexis Ohanian’s all-female event, Athlos, was a spectacle to watch for the track and field community. Gracing the event were the likes of Masai Rusell, who proved why she was the Olympic champion. While Russell was the clear favorite going into the event, it was Jasmine Camacho-Quinn who took the top spot with 12:36s. But Russell, who termed the event as her “catch up” race, secured the bronze medal running a time of 12.44s. While the timing was not exactly near to breaking the world record, the consistency shown by Russell will surely lift her spirits for the good. 

Elated by her triumphant run, Russell posted on her X account, “12.44 in a “catch up” race to end an unforgettable season… I guess you can call me a rookie and a vet.” Along with the victory, Russell also pocketed a prize money of $10,000 to further bolster her merry season. Starting off with the 60m hurdles, the Olympic gold medalist took second place running 7.89s. 

She took her form into the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, where she missed the podium by a whisker in the 60m category. Soon, the trials arrived and Russell was one of the fastest. Now, with an Olympic medal in her kitty at such a young age, we can only expect that a swarm of glorious gold is waiting for Masai Russell down the line along with a world record.