Masai Russell
American sprinter and hurdler (born 2000)
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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 currently the world record holder in the 100 m hurdles.
Russell at the 2024 United States Olympic trials | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | June 17, 2000 Washington, D.C., U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[1] | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country |  United States | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics/Track | ||||||||||||||
Events | 100 meters hurdles, 400 meters hurdles, 60 metres hurdles | ||||||||||||||
| College team | Kentucky Wildcats (2021–2023) | ||||||||||||||
| Team | Nike | ||||||||||||||
Turned pro | June 2023 | ||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Lonnie Greene | ||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||
| 2024 Paris 100 mH,  Gold | |||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | |||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||
Russell holds personal bests of 12.09 seconds over 100 m hurdles which is the world and American Record, 7.74 seconds over 60 metres hurdles, which is tied for thirteenth-fastest of all time and 54.66 seconds over 400 metres 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.
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][5] In April, she ran a collegiate/NCAA record of 12.36s over 100 m hurdles at the Texas Relays.[6][7] In June, she placed second in both the 100 m hurdles and 400 m hurdles at the 2023 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships.[8][9] After the conclusion of the 2023 NCAA season, Russell turned professional.[10] At the 2023 USA Outdoor Championships, Russell finished third qualifying to represent the United States at the World Championships in Budapest.[11] She made the semi-finals, but did not finish there after hitting a hurdle.[12]
Russell finished fourth in the 60 m hurdles at the 2024 World Indoor Championships.[13] In April 2024, she signed a sponsorship deal with Nike after previously being signed with Gymshark.[14][15] 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.[16] At the Olympics, Russell won gold with a time of 12.33s, narrowly beating Cyréna Samba-Mayela.[17][18] In September 2024, it was announced that Russell had signed up for the inaugural season of the Michael Johnson-founded Grand Slam Track.[19] She ended her 2024 season by finishing third at the inaugural Athlos meet.[20]
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.[21][22] On July 5, she ran to fourth place at the 2025 Prefontaine Classic.[23] 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.[24][25] At the 2025 World Athletics Championships, Russell won both her heat and semi-final race but only finished fourth in the final.[26][27] She ended the season with winning the 2025 Athlos meet for the 100 m hurdles with a wind-assisted 12.52 seconds.[28]
In May 2026, Russell further improved on her personal best to 12.14 seconds after winning the event at the Xiamen Diamond League.[29][30] 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.[31][32][33] On July 4, she won the same event at the 2026 Prefontaine Classic with a time of 12.24, equaling a meet record.[34]
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.[35][36][37]
Education
Russell graduated from Bullis School in 2018.[38] She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in Health Science in 2023.[1]
Professional
Circuit performances
| Grand Slam Track results[39] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slam | Race group | Event | Pl. | Time | Prize money |
| 2025 Kingston Slam | Short hurdles | 100 m hurdles | 5th | 12.78 | US$15,000 |
| 100 m | 5th | 11.86 | |||
| 2025 Miami Slam | Short hurdles | 100 m hurdles | 1st | 12.17 | US$50,000 |
| 100 m | 4th | 11.40 | |||
National championships
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| 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 | ||
| 2025 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 4th | 100 m hurdles | 12.44 |
1DNF in the semi-finals.
Awards
- Night of Legends Award 2024: Breakthrough Performer Wing Award[40]
