The 24-year-old hurdler, Masai Russell, has her own share of ups and downs in her personal and professional life. She built interest in racing seeing her brothers practice for speed for their individual sports; she worked on herself. Russell’s journey on track was filled with near-misses on second-place finishes, a reality she had to accept early on.

As Masai continued to develop her skills, her journey was shaped by her own determination with unwavering support from her family. She shares her early struggles and support from his family, especially her father. How did it all start? What did she have to face?

Masai Russell reflects on her struggle and the role of family 

Masai Russell started track at the age of 8, and despite trying other sports like gymnastics, running gave her a fast enough pace. In an interview with Sport Xposure Podcast, she said, “It was me, my brother; I had two brothers, and it was me, so we were all like an age group apart, which means you’re going to be at the track all day, and he was fun though.” Her track and field journey was a full family commitment, and her brothers were competitors. It is fun but sometimes builds mental pressure to perform well.

Though Russell was committed to her sport, she couldn’t get the success she deserved. Reflecting on her feelings on her achievements, she stated, “I never was getting that win, but you know I just kept doing track; my parents were supporting me; my dad was at the track all day with us.” She reflects on how determination and persistence can carry you through disappointment. She even aimed to break Toni Amusan’s world record, which shows her motivation to break the record despite having setbacks in the past.

Her father’s commitment also plays a vital role in her success. Talking about her father’s role, she said, “Definitely, it was a lot. Being at the track for like 12–13 hours is no joke with three kids and all three different age groups. You got to prepare food. You got to have a tent like everything.” The sacrifices her father made were substantial to build resilience and focus, which was a part of foundation building.

Masai Russell also showed gratitude for her father’s involvement, which is also evident in her words. She stated, “I appreciate my dad because my mom was in school and he helped us in that part of our life.” Her father not only gave her logistics support but also offered emotional guidance. He used to encourage her when she ever felt demotivated; she added, “He just always was telling me the things I needed to hear to essentially be where I’m at today.” And that played a key role in Russell’s mental fortitude and overall development. With all the struggles, Russell is moving forward like a pro and has set her future goals.

Russell’s future plans along with her past achievements

Track and field sprinter and hurdler Masai Russell OLY began her career in 2021. Though she was on track since she was 8 years old, her father’s support and her brothers’ competition played a vital role in helping her reach here. After she entered the SEC championship, she started with sub-13 100m hurdles in second place but dropped to sixth in the finals. The same happened in the finals of NCAA Division I Championships, but all of these setbacks didn’t stop her.

Later in 2023, Russell’s performance in 60m hurdles was outstanding, as she broke the collegiate record of Grace Stark’s by just 0.03s and stopped the clock at 7.75s. And then she didn’t look back and broke many records; 12.36s in 100m hurdles at the Texas Relays is one of them.

Russell’s 2024 Olympic gold medal in 100m hurdles and Athlos NYC performance was outstanding; now she has hinted at her future goals. Through social media, Russell recently said that she is back on training, indicating her focus for the upcoming season. The upcoming highly anticipated events are the World Championships and the Diamond League series. Her debut in WC 2023 didn’t go well for her, and she must be looking forward to cracking this year.

Despite her impressive run in the Diamond League, she has yet to reach the finals. As she has started her training, it is yet to see how she will perform or make new records.