USA Track & Field Photo
After former Kentucky track star Masai Russell won a gold medal at the Paris Olympics in the 100-meter hurdles, she suggested she might reward herself by buying her first house.
Apparently that plan is on track.
‘I am talking to a realtor now to finish out the next steps,” said Russell during an appearance on WLAP Sunday Morning Sports Talk. “A house is an amazing investment. I plan on staying at Kentucky the next couple of years, so winning came at just the right time.”
Olympians receive a cash stipend for winning a gold medal but the Maryland native did not have to choose to put down roots in Kentucky like she is.
“Kentucky is definitely home and will always be home,” she said.
Russell certainly did not start the season like a potential U.S. Olympic Trials winner or Olympic champion. However, she never let the adversity she was facing keep her from believing she could win.
“It’s important to always keep going,” she said. “Quitting is going to hurt and achieving more is going to hurt. You just have to decide which route to take. I tell everyone to never give up on your dreams because no right now does not mean no forever.
“I always came in second. I was the national runner-up. I worked so hard. It’s about having faith and never giving up. Always fight. I have not been running all 24 years of my life but even as a young kid the dream was always to be Olympic champion.”
Russell understands and appreciates what elite company she’s now in.
“Having that title means the world to me. I put so much into it. I never gave up on myself. Hopefully I can be a driving source for younger or older athletes to never give up on your dream and share what it means to now really be an Olympic champion,” Russell said. “There are so many amazing, talented athletes but if I can do it, you can do it. You just have to believe like I did.”
