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Olympic champion Masai Russell has called for more visibility on track and field, highlighting the challenges that track athletes face when major track events like Olympics isn't around the corner.
Paris Olympic gold medalist Masai Russell has shed light on the challenges faced by professional track and field athletes in gaining recognition outside of the Olympic spotlight.
In a recent Vlog highlighting her life after the Olympics shared on her YouTube channel, Russell emphasized the need to bring more visibility to the sport year-round and praised recent efforts to do just that.
Russell, who claimed the gold in the women’s 100m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics, explained that it’s often difficult for track and field athletes to reach a broad audience outside of major events like the Olympics.
“People are always trying to search and find, just trying to dial into what we’re doing,” she said.
“But it’s hard to be shown. It’s hard to be found if you don’t know someone in the track space or if you’re not following a track athlete that is posting when and where we’ll be running, and on what broadcast.”
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With track and field events scattered across different platforms and lacking centralized media coverage, Russell noted that fans are often left in the dark unless they already have a connection to the sport.
However, she voiced hope that with the support of new partners who recognize track’s potential, the sport might finally gain consistent mainstream attention.
Russell praised Alexis Ohanian, the founder of Athlos, a women's-only track event, for his role in promoting track, though she found it bittersweet that an outsider had to help reveal the sport’s potential.
“It’s unfortunate that someone outside of the track space had to realize and understand the growth our sport is capable of,” she reflected.
“We’re one of the most-watched sports during the Olympics, but people only really know about track during the Olympics.”
Despite these challenges, Russell remains optimistic about track’s future, believing that the sport’s appeal is undeniable.
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“People love to see athletes race against each other,” she said, adding, “And track women I feel like we look really good while doing it. We definitely have the eyes for sure.”
Russell’s comments highlight the need for a stronger push to make track and field a visible and celebrated sport outside of Olympic seasons.
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