USA Track & Field Photo
No one can steal the hurdling spotlight from Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who easily cruised to her second straight Olympic gold medal finish in the 400-meter hurdles and broke the world record for the sixth time while doing it.
However, Kentucky is not known as Hurdling U. only because of McLaughlin-Levrone, who also was part of USA’s 4×400 gold medal relay team Saturday and now has four gold medals in the last two Olympics.
Another former UK hurdling star, Masai Russell, is also an Olympic champion after a lean at the finish gave the 24-year-old hurdler the win in the 100-meter hurdles Saturday in Paris in her first Olympics. Another former UK hurdler, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico, took the bronze medal in the 100 hurdles after winning gold in Tokyo three years ago.
Camacho-Quinn had the lead at the eighth hurdle. France’s Cyrena Samba-Mayela looked to have a slim lead over Russell at the last hurdle, but Russell’s finishing kick propelled her to the win.
Russell, a 2023 UK graduate, won her gold in 12.33 seconds to win by one-hundredth of a second. Russell, the collegiate record holder in the event, was competing in her first major international final. She was a four-time NCAA runner-up and had won the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in a world-leading time of 12.25 seconds.
She had to wait for the official results from the photo finish before her name finally was listed as No. 1 in front of Samba-Mayela with Camacho-Quinn on three hundredths of a second behind Russell.
“It always seems like it’s not possible until it is,” Russell said.
She was an eight-time national high school champion and Maryland Track & Field Athlete of the Year in 2018. She planned to attend Texas A&M but her scholarship offer was pulled one day before national signing day. She signed with Tennessee because of assistant coach Tim Hall but when he left to join the UK staff she followed him to Kentucky and the rest is history.
She used to be a 400-meter hurdler but wisely made the transition to the 100 hurdles in college.
“The 400 hurdles is no joke. It’s no joke to train for, it’s no joke to compete in,” Russell said Saturday. “I’m glad the 100 hurdles picked me. I’ve definitely grown a love for the 100 hurdles.”
She’s a social media influencer who had 192,000 followers on Instagram along with 480,000 followers on TikTok while she was at UK along with 29,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel. Russell now has over one million combined social media followers and posts videos about hurdles, hair, health, training and dancing.
Russell admitted she spent most of Friday night “tossing and turning” rather than sleeping.
“I was dreaming about it (winning gold). The fact that it actually happens has meant the world,” Russell said.
Russell signed a deal with Nike recently and bought a Mercedes for making it to Paris. She joked she would probably buy herself a house now after winning gold.
However, she also wants to spread a message to young girls with big aspirations.
“I just want every young girl to understand and know that if you believe in yourself, if you can see the work, day in and day out, there’s nothing that’s impossible for you,” Russell said.
“I always tell myself that it’s possible. Can’t no-one take it away from you. This moment today was meant for me. So whatever moment that’s out there that’s meant for them, take advantage of the moment and the opportunity, because it’s meant for you.”
Russell’s social media lit up with congratulatory messages. She got one from UK men’s basketball coach Mark Pope. Another one came from WNBA superstar Angel Reese referring to her as the “queen” after her performance.
In an interview I did with Russell in 2023, she told me “track is my life” and today that life includes having her first Olympic gold medal.
