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Olympic champion Masai Russell, who made her Olympic debut at the Paris games last August, has revealed the transitional struggles she endured earlier in 2024.
Masai Russell, the newly crowned Olympic champion in the 100m hurdles has recently opened up about the struggles she faced during her transition from collegiate athletics to professional competition.
Russell's journey to Olympic glory in Paris was anything but smooth, marked by months of underwhelming performances and an adjustment period that tested her resilience.
Russell, who was still competing for the University of Kentucky’s track and field team in 2023, faced a steep learning curve after turning professional that summer.
She endured a string of disappointing results, including a ninth-place finish at the Prefontaine Classic in May, following a sixth-place performance at a Diamond League meet earlier in the season.
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17:51 - 22.11.2024
'Cambridge looks good on you' - Gabby Thomas & Masai Russell share moment after appearance at Harvard University
American Olympians Gabby Thomas and Masai Russell, who both won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, shared a beautiful moment ahead of their participation in 2025 Grand Slam Track.
"In the beginning of this year, it was super tough for me," Russell reflected in a recent episode of Sports Xposure Podcast.
"Just becoming a professional it’s already a big transition as is. Going from competing with your entire team to being at the meets by yourself, your coach not being there, and looking around at people you don’t know. You don’t have that comfortability you get in college because you’re literally by yourself a lot of the time. It was very different."
Her breakthrough came at the U.S. Olympic Trials in June, where she delivered a stunning performance.
Russell not only outpaced an elite field that included Olympic medalist and world-record holder Keni Harrison but also shattered Gail Devers’ 30-year-old American record, clocking an astonishing 12.25 seconds.
"I’m a relentless person," she said of her mindset leading up to the trials.
"I know how it feels to be at the top, and I wasn’t going to allow myself to stay in that space for too long. I got my act together and locked in. I told myself, ‘I don’t care if I’m a rookie or not I’m going to kill it.’ It’s a big transition, but I knew I was ready for it."
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09:36 - 21.11.2024
"It's just a challenge every day' - Masai Russell on why her Olympics heroics have opened the doors for domination
Olympics 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell has weighed in on how her triumph at the Paris Games will act as a major motivator for the rest of her career.
That mental toughness carried her to Paris, where she solidified her place among the world’s elite hurdlers.
In her Olympic debut, Russell clinched gold, outpacing France’s Cyréna Samba-Mayela and defending Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who claimed silver and bronze, respectively.
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