In her Olympic debut, Bullis School and Kentucky University alum Masai Russell won the gold medal in the women’s 100-meter hurdle in Paris. In a close and compelling final, the Potomac, Maryland native edged France’s Cyréna Samba-Mayela by one-hundredths of a second at an official time of 12.33 seconds.
Russell is no stranger to winning, as the gold medalist has been successful in her high school and collegiate days. With the Olympic title, Russell added her name to a list of DMV and Bullis Olympians to win gold.
Being a star at Bullis
At a young age, Russell started playing sports with gymnastics and ballet. After seeing her brother in a meet, Russell was inspired and took on track and field at eight. She was always a fast kid, conquering her classmates in races.
Due to Russell’s love of the track and growing up in Potomac, it was natural for her to attend the powerhouse of Bullis School. In her freshman year, she journeyed into the 300-meter hurdles. She emerged as a national sensation in high school.
Russell was ranked No. 1 in Maryland for the 300 and 500-meter hurdles as a sophomore and junior. She won the Ocean Breeze 400 meet championship in both years. However, her track career took off during her senior year in 2018.
Russell was an eight-time national champion (sprint relays and shuttle hurdles), a three-time All-Metro, and won the 2018 Maryland Gatorade Athlete of the Year. She was invited to the 2018 Pan-Am Junior Games, winning bronze in the 400-meter hurdles.
Masai Russell enters Kentucky
Initially, Russell committed and signed to the University of Tennessee despite never visiting the school. She was drawn to the Volunteers by legendary assistant coach Tim Hall.
However, Hall joined the coaching staff at the University of Kentucky, extending a scholarship offer to Russell, leading her to flip to the Wildcats.
Russell instantly became a star as a freshman. She was named to first-team indoor All-American in the 4×400 meter relay. Russell broke Kentucky’s freshman record for the 60-meter hurdle at the 2019 Clemson Tiger Paw Invitational with a time of 8.18 seconds.
Russell earned seven first-team All-American honors throughout her collegiate career. She also had 11 All-American selections between the 100-meter hurdles, 400 hurdles, 4×100 relay, and 4×400 relay.
Russell won first place at the SEC Indoor Championships for the 60-meter hurdle.
Her journey to Paris started in 2021, as she got invited to the U.S. Olympic Trials for a shot to compete at the Tokyo Olympics. She placed 19th in the 100-meter hurdles and finished 12th in the 400-meter hurdles.
Getting ready for Paris
She continued to strive despite not qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. She capped off her senior season with a silver medal in the 100-meter hurdles,
After capping off her senior season in 2023, finishing second in the 100-meter hurdles and 4×100-meter relay NCAA Outdoor Championship. Russell also competed in the 100-meter hurdle World Championship, reaching the semifinals.
Her journey continued after college as she reached the final and finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdle at the World Indoor Championship. She missed the podium by 0.02 seconds behind Poland’s Pia Skryszowska.
Her improvement carried her into this year’s 100-meter hurdle at the U.S. Olympic trials. Russell surged ahead after the final hurdle to grab first place in the 100-meter hurdle, becoming a national champion and qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games.
Russell had an official time of 12.25, breaking Gail Dever’s 24-year trail record of 12.33.
Becoming an Olympic champion
Russell seemingly paced herself through the preliminary heats at the Olympics. She tied for first place with Nadine Visser of the Netherlands, running 12.53 to advance. In the second round, Russell qualified for the final, finishing in second place in 12.42 seconds, setting the stage for a chance to become an Olympic champion.
In a thrilling final, Maria Russell came out as the victor, beating Samba-Mayela with a time of 12.33 to claim her Olympic gold medal one year after finishing college.
After the race, Russell got interviewed by NBC’s Lewis Johnson, who asked how long the wait was for an Olympic gold medal.
“The wait wasn’t too long,” A static Maria Russell replied. “I was just hoping my name popped up first. I could barely sleep last night cause I was thinking of like literally my name coming up number one. Then when it came up, I was like, this is literally what I dreamed of, I prayed for, I worked so hard for, every moment, and it was literally a dream come true.”
At 24 years old, a gold medal adds to an already impressive resume. Russell may be just beginning and could add more medals, including the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
