Collegiate record holder Masai Russell tackles her next hurdle, the world stage: "I feel like I walk in as one of the best"
The USA athlete has the third-fastest 100m hurdles time this year and hopes to follow the 'Hurdle U' path of Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn and silver medallist Kendra Harrison.
Athletics
As Masai Russell walks into the brightly lit interview studio, the standout collegiate hurdler carefully sets down her GoPro just off camera, getting the angle right for the perfect behind-the-scenes shot.
Russell, who set the NCAA 100m hurdles record in March with a 12.36 (which was also, at the time, the world lead for the season internationally), is already familiar with the limelight. She was one of the first college athletes to sign a name, image and likeness deal (NIL), and boasts nearly one million followers across her TikTok and Instagram accounts.
“A lot of my social media following has come from the success that I've had on the track. I can't throw that in the trash,” Russell, 23, says minutes later in an exclusive sit-down with Olympics.com. “Track is what has gotten me this far. Track has gotten me in these spaces.
“I've been running track since I was eight years old,” the Baltimore-area native continued. “It’s an addictive type of sport. You see numbers (times), you see good results and you just keep pushing for more. It's a process. I still have that competitive drive [and] until the drive goes away, then I'll quit. But when that fire is still lit, I'm still gonna keep going.”
Where Russell is going next is this week’s (6-9 July) U.S. Championships, where she’s among the favourites in the 100m hurdles and could – given her third-fastest time in the world this season – be a contender for the podium at August’s World Athletics Championships.
But Russell has goals that reach far beyond Budapest too, including next year’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
‘Hurdle U’: An Olympic champ, a silver medallist and Masai Russell
Russell has spent the last five years on that aforementioned “process” at the University of Kentucky, the same system that reigning Olympic 100m hurdles champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn as well as silver medallist Kendra Harrison ran at prior.
Russell’s predecessors have turned into her cheerleaders, too.
“It is actually crazy that both of them went to Kentucky,” laughs Russell. “We call ourselves ‘Hurdle U.’ I have a great relationship with both of them... they’re always supporting me and want me to do great, to win. They want me to follow the footsteps they're literally walking in and that I plan to be walking the next few years. I'm behind some of the best ever.”
But, as Russell points out, she’s actually “ahead of” where Camacho-Quinn and Harrison were in their collegiate careers in terms of fastest times.
Along with her 100m hurdles record, Russell broke Harrison's 60m hurdles best earlier this season while also setting a national record. (That 60m time was broken weeks later by Ackera Nugent, who has also beaten Russell for the 100m hurdles title.)
“Keni literally pulled me aside and was like, ‘I’m so proud of you, you’re doing great and... keep up the good work,’” Russell said of Harrison's reaction.
“I don't want to say they’re like big sisters, but they’re mentors who [have been] in my shoes. It’s just great that they have taken me in as this younger hurdler. But they know that... like, I'm coming.”
Masai Russell: "The goal is always to win"
The hurdle that Camacho-Quinn and Harrison have long since jumped over but Russell is yet to do is this: Turning pro. Success at the collegiate level is just that, and even if Russell's times are competitive, there is an understanding that in elite athletics it’s a whole different ball game.
Russell is not intimidated.
“I feel like I walk in as one of the best. People know that I'm an individual that has run the very fast times and I have faster PRs than a good amount of professional athletes,” she said. “I just know that once the day comes, you have to show up. We all go to start at the same line and whoever comes to the finish line first, second or third is going to be walking away with something.
“The goal is always to win.”
She is also realistic about the transition away from a collegiate system, however, describing going pro as "being out there on your own".
While she’s never competed internationally, Russell is a sponge when listening to other, more experienced athletes: “I don’t have a hard head. When people tell me, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do that', I’m listening.”
“I’ve been in college for five years... I’m old enough, I’m experienced,” she added. “So I’m excited.”
The most growth has come in recent months while she’s been under the watchful eye of coach Lonnie Greene and his team in Lexington, Kentucky.
“The biggest transition has been this last year, just how much I've changed my life and who I am mentally," Russell said. "I'm understanding now that the mindset is very important as an athlete, and when you can take hold of that and capture how important your brain is towards your success, then I feel like there's nothing that you can’t do.
“It’s been a transformation I've seen in myself.”
Masai Russell: "Goofy, playful and energetic"
Who is Masai Russell, though?
On TikTok she is often seen dancing with teammates and giving race-day make-up tutorials to her more than 500,000 followers. It’s "goofy", Russell said of her social media presence – and that’s just her.
“Masai Russell is a goofy, playful, energetic person. I'm always joking and playing... I like to have fun,” she said. “Ask anyone on my team.”
At the 2023 NCAA Championships, held in June in Austin, a roar came up from the crowd each time her name was announced over the big speaker, and on training day she rocked oversized, space-like sunglasses.
She stands out.
“I definitely get it from my mom, she’s goofy too,” Russell said of her mother, Sharon.
“But she’s also a doctor. I think we have the same trait. When we’re doing our business, handling our business, 'You gotta do what you gotta do so you can do what you want to do', as my dad says. That’s stuck with me. Yes, I’m goofy and energetic, but when I step on the track it’s strictly business. Nothing is funny.”
And, Russell stressed, she’s serious about Paris 2024.
“I know it’s [the upcoming] Olympic year, of course I want to make the team... that’s everyone’s dream,” she said. “Paris? I think of winning... just shock, awe, dreams.”
“But I’m focused on what I’m doing here. Every year [in college] I’ve been getting better, so it’s going to get really scary, that’s all I’m going to say,” she added with a grin.
“I don't put limits on myself anymore. It's just about being able to execute and trust myself. If I trust myself and focus on what Masai has to do, I know that I'll be pretty successful.”