Despite winning the gold at the Paris Olympics in the 100m hurdles, Masai Russell was not among the favorites to win anything big at the Grand Slam Track in Miami. Reason? Just last month, the 24-year-old did not look like look like someone who would soon set the world on fire. Coming off her Olympics glory, Masai clocked a modest 12.65s at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational. Well, the Florida sprinter walked with more frustration than medals.

But here is the thing: while many kept doubting her, Russell kept grinding before taking the Grand Slam Track by storm. “For me personally, I am never comfortable. I am never like, ‘Oh, I am the Olympic champion. I could just miss practice, or I could just do whatever.’ NO, I am like, I got to come to practice and bust my tail every day because you never know which way I’m going to go on that day,” Russell said during the GST presser. Well, Russell not only left her mark in Miami by securing another gold, but she ended up breaking the national record (12.17s) and clocked the second fastest in the 1oom hurdles. And her victory did not just shake up the medal tally, it may it may have made one legendary voice in track and field eat his words. Yep! That good!

Winning the race was always in her Plans, but beating an all-time national record? “I am not going to lie, that was not in the plans… I am just in a loss for words. I’m just floating on cloud nine right now,” the 24-year-old confessed. A win so big that it silenced all who doubted Russell after a poor outing at the Tom Jones Invitational last month.

Justin Gatlin, one of the sport’s biggest voices, was quiet after that race. Real quiet. On his Ready Set Go Podcast with Rodney Green, even Gatlin admitted, “I was quiet because I didn’t see what you saw… I didn’t see it.” Green had earlier predicted something big was coming for Masai, but Gatlin wasn’t sold, yet. “You did say that. You did say that, brother. You did say that. And you listen, the crazy thing is you said that coming off of Tom Jones,” Gatlin said. “But that’s what I love about track and field. Masai did not have a good race at Tom Jones… and usually what sets in is frustration. But someone like Masai stuck to the plan and was prepared for the moment.”

Talking about the race, USA’s Tia Jones also came out firing, actually leading for most of it. “From the aerial view,” Gatlin noted, “Tia was actually ahead… but coming off the last hurdle, Masai sprinted to that finish line.” 12.17s. A new American record. The second-fastest time ever run behind Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan’s 12.12 and the fastest American woman in history. She broke Kendra Harrison, a 33-year-old’s 2016 record that was set at the London Müller Anniversary Games.

Everyone was stunned. Masai was stunned. Even Tia Jones looked shell-shocked. But no one more than Gatlin himself, who grinned on air and said, “Masai goes out and breaks the American record… 12.17! Now hold on, hold on…”

A brief review of Masai Russell’s 2025 season

Masai Russell’s 2025 season has been nothing short of a statement, barring a few hiccups, and each race felt like a chapter in a comeback novel. It all began indoors in January, where she dropped a 7.89 in the 60m hurdles final at the Texas Tech Corky Classic. By February, she was flying. Russell claimed gold at the USA Indoors with a crisp 7.74.

Then came outdoors, and with it, the grind. She opened with a fifth-place 12.78 at Grand Slam Kingston, followed by a second-place 12.65 at the Tom Jones Memorial. The Drake Relays saw her clock 12.74 in a solo win. But she wasn’t done.

In Miami, everything changed. Russell exploded in the 100m hurdles final at the Grand Slam Track Meet with a jaw-dropping 12.17—breaking the American record. It was the second-fastest time ever. A day later, she clocked 11.40 in the 100m flat final.