From participating in her first Olympics, to winning an Olympic medal, it was a period of many firsts for Masai Russell. Recently, the 24 year old made history with her 100 m Hurdle gold in Paris. The American Track and Field sprinter and hurdler scraped victory by just 0.01 seconds! Despite facing fierce competition from other well-rounded athletes, she managed to emerge victorious! She also shattered a 24 year old Trials record, previously held by Gail Devers, the legendary sprinter.

The National Champion is also a social media star, with numerous followers. With her bubbly and colorful personality, she is a total fashionista! Her Louis Vuitton earrings, long eyelashes, nose piercings, plus a gem embedded in her tooth, add to her distinctive charm. But do not be fooled by her sweet smile, as she is a beast on the tracks! When competing, she has a do or die attitude, and nothing can shift her focus from her goals, as proven by her recent accomplishment.

Masai Russell Cinches Olympic Gold

In a close finish, Masai Russell won a maiden 100m hurdles gold medal at the Paris Olympics! The 24 year old crossed the line at 12.33 seconds. She leaned into the line at the hundredth of a second, and managed to cinch her first Olympic gold. Puerto Rican defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn was well on her way to make history as the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic golds in the event.

But to everyone’s surprise, Russell apparently came out of nowhere to overtake her fellow competitors.  Flying under the radar in the beginning, she zoomed past her rivals at the eleventh hours, dashing their hopes of a victory. She managed to beat France’s Cyrena Samba-Myela by a tiny 0.01 seconds! Winning this medal is a big deal for her.

Russell had no major titles to her name before participating in the Games. But she did showcase her inherent talent when she attained a personal and world-leading time of 12.25s at the US Olympic Trials. This led to her ranking fourth-fastest in history! Russell, who is also a WWE star and NIL athlete, managed to achieve a major accolade outside of the wrestling world. This is a testament to her grind and never give up attitude, despite her previous failures.

Russell’s past failure

The night is darkest before dawn, and Masai Russell knows this all too well. “I wanted it. I wanted to come out here and put my name on history. Last year in Budapest, I didn’t make it through the semi-finals. I failed But I always knew that I had the talent and capability of being one of the best hurdlers ever.” she said, as quoted by FloTrack.

Despite trying her best, the sprinter was unable to complete the 100m hurdles semifinal at the 2023 World Championships, due to hitting a hurdle. This was a heartbreaking moment for Russell, as she was looking forward to do her best at the championship. Things went further south when she finished fourth in the 60m hurdles at the 2024 World Indoor Championships, thereby missing the podium by 0.02 seconds. But her unyielding attitude and total belief in herself ultimately did wonders, making her an Olympic gold medalist!