Masai Russell came within 0.05 seconds of the world record at Grand Slam Track. However, her 12.17 performance wasn’t enough in 2025. After injury setbacks and a shift in mindset, in the new season, the 25-year-old Olympic gold medalist has decided to stop looking at the clock as she sets her heart on being the sole record holder in 100m hurdles.

Ahead of the upcoming Diamond League meet in Xiamen on May 23, Russell spoke at the pre-race press conference about the growing talk around the world record and how she is dealing with it.  She shared, “I’m like, I’m not a distance runner, and I can’t plan when I’m gonna break the world record. I need to stop looking at the clock and just run through the line, but yeah, I know I’m in the shape to do so,” she said. And with that, she made it clear that the goal is less about prediction and more about execution.

At the Diamond League opener in Shanghai/Keqiao last month, Russell delivered a world-leading performance, running 12.25 seconds to take victory in the women’s 100m hurdles. Russell also spoke about how she is feeling physically and mentally this season. “I feel stronger than ever, faster than ever. My mindset is in the best place it’s ever been. So like I said, whenever it’s meant to be, it’ll be,” she added.

She made it clear she is not interested in simply matching a record. She wants to go under it. “I don’t want to run 12.12. I want to go below that because I don’t want to set like tie the record. I want to break it, so yeah, I’m excited, just you know, whatever it’s going to be, it’s going to be, and that’s the mindset that I have.”

Russell learned the hard way: health is everything. After running 12.17 seconds last year, she suffered a serious ankle injury that kept her out of training and competition for weeks. She struggled just to walk and had to pause everything right when she was building momentum. It was not an easy return to the sport for her.

She finished fourth at the Prefontaine Classic and World Championships in around 12.44 seconds. That stretch made her realise how much staying healthy matters when chasing records.

Tobi Amusan set the current women’s 100m hurdles world record of 12.12 seconds during the semi-finals at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on July 24, 2022. It made her Nigeria’s first-ever world champion and world record holder in an athletics event.

The USA’s Kendra Harrison held the women’s 100m hurdles world record before Amusan. Harrison ran a time of 12.20 seconds in London on July 22, 2016, which broke the previous record of 12.21 seconds set by Bulgaria’s Yordanka Donkova in 1988.

Masai Russell enters 2026 in red-hot form

Masai Russell has already done enough to be among the best. She is the reigning Olympic champion from the 2024 Summer Games, and she also holds the U.S. NCAA record in the event. Her personal best of 12.17 seconds stands as the American record.

She has also demonstrated her versatility off the sprint hurdles. Her performance in the 60m hurdles was 7.74, which tied her for the 13th fastest time in the 60m hurdles. Along with it, she has also run 54.66 in the 400m hurdles.  Now she brings that same form into 2026, and early signs suggest she is sharp again.

She opened her season with 12.72 in Austin, then followed it with a quicker 12.47 at the Jim Green Invitational in Kentucky. She also clocked 23.35 over 200m in Lexington. But Shanghai is where things get real.

She will line up against a loaded field, including world champion Ditaji Kambundji, three-time world indoor champion Devynne Charlton, world record-holder Tobi Amusan, and two-time world champion Danielle Williams. A field like that does not allow for any small mistakes.