American Masai Russell leads hurdlers in pursuit of Camacho-Quinn’s Olympic title
SAINT-DENIS, France — After competing at the Paris Olympics, 100-meter hurdler Masai Russell offered himself a new black Mercedes.
Imagine the reward if the American star brought home the gold. Imagine the social media content too.
When she’s not jumping over obstacles, Russell is a world-class social influencer with around a million subscribers on all its platformsShe posts videos about obstacles, hair, health, workout, and dance moves. Some of her posts can get up to 60,000 likes from her fans.
“My buddy says, ‘This could fill a stadium,'” said Russell, who starts the first round on Wednesday and plays in the final on Saturday. “When you put it like that, it’s a little scary.”
The 24-year-old Maryland native was set to head to Tennessee before following a coach to the University of KentuckyThe Wildcats are almost synonymous with obstacles, as Kentucky has produced players like Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Reigning Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn from Puerto Rico and silver medalist Kendra Harrison.
Russell ran the world’s fastest time (12.25 seconds) this season in a packed Olympic field that includes Camacho-Quinn and Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, who won the world championships last summer in Budapest.
“I don’t really think about (getting the fastest time) because I know I still have a lot to do,” Russell said. “I feel like when you start thinking you have to do something more than you’ve already done, that’s when bad things can (happen). … If it’s about me winning gold, it’s going to happen.”
Russell was a 400-meter hurdler, like McLaughlin-Levrone, before switching disciplines permanently in college.
“The 400m hurdles is no joke. It’s no joke to train for it, it’s no joke to compete in it,” Russell said. “I’m glad the 100m hurdles chose me. I definitely developed a passion for the 100m hurdles.”
A Hall of Fame Sprinter Gail Devers will certainly be watching the race. The 100 hurdles is close to her because the 1988 race was a medal that could have been won.
At the Summer Olympics in South Korea, Devers had vision problems during the hurdles. She was unable to reach the final.
Years later, Devers was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder that affects the thyroid gland. She won two Olympic gold medals in the 100 meters in 1992 and 1996.
“Who knows what might have happened if we had played the what-if game,” Devers said of the 1988 hurdle race. “I had my life put on hold for three years when I should have been at the top of my game.”
She has suffered from Graves’ disease and symptoms of thyroid eye disease for more than three decades.
“I’m doing great,” Devers said.
Making the U.S. team requires an Olympic-level effort. Russell, Alaysha Johnson and recent NCAA champion Grace Stark earned their spots by all running 12.31 seconds or less. Nia Ali, part of the U.S. trio in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, ran 12.37 seconds and finished fourth. That time would have tied for gold in Tokyo. Tonea Marshall (12.38) and Harrison (12.39) also failed to qualify.
“They certainly could have been in the (Olympic) final,” Devers said. “So we left at least two or three players at home who could have been in that final.”
Frenchwoman Cyrena Samba-Mayela cites piano, guitar, painting and drawing as her talents. And also hurdling.
Samba-Mayela won the European Championships in Rome last month.
The field includes world record holder Tobi Amusan of Nigeria (12.12 seconds) and Bahamas’ Devynne Charlton, who is also Russell’s training partner.
“We have really good momentum,” Russell said.
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