Masai Russell is on fire! She ran the 100m hurdles at Silesia in just 12.36 seconds and secured second place. She’s become one of the top five athletes to go sub-12.3 seconds in the 100m hurdles. Russell has even surpassed Yordanka Donkova and Ackera Nugent for the most sub-12.3 in one season, with four instances of the same. She has also become the only woman in history to run 12.1s in multiple 100m hurdles races. She has run three of the eight fastest times in the last four months. But Masai Russell is not done yet. She has set her eyes on something that she failed to obtain in 2024. 

What is Russell aiming for? It’s nothing but the 1.4-pound Tiffany and Co. silver crown that Athlos NYC winners usually receive. Following her impeccable performance at Diamond League Silesia, Russell weighed in on her stance regarding Athlos. She claimed, “Like going into Athlos, of course, the goal is to get to World Championships.”

Masai Russell continued, “And then after that, just take it on as another meet to finish out the season. So, I don’t know, my coach has planned for us going into Athlos. But trust me, I’ll be ready to run, and I’m ready to get that crown that I didn’t get last year. But it’s alright.”  

It’s crazy for any female athlete to skip fighting for the 4.25-inch-high, 7.2 inches in diameter, and 1.4-pound sterling silver crown, along with the hefty $60K prize. The artists at Tiffany and Co. spent 10 weeks and 25 hours to craft the custom crowns. However, Russell missed out on getting one at Athlos NYC 2024. 

So, what happened at Athlos NYC 2024? And why didn’t Russell get a crown? Let’s hear it directly from the star athlete. 

Masai Russell expresses her frustration with Athlos

During her appearance on a segment of Grand Slam Track with Tiara Williams, Masai Russell revealed her frustration with the Athlos 100m hurdles in 2024. She said, “I mean for me, honestly when it came to Athlos it was a high class, world class meet. There’s movement going on at the start. That race should have been caught back. Of course, I was very frustrated after I competed because I mean if you watch the overhead view, if you watch any view. It was very evident that there was a lot of movement going on at the start. I wasn’t really mad about my performance because I still did what I needed to do. But I just know if it was a fair race, I would have been more happy with whatever the outcome.”

At the event, she crossed the finish line at 12.44 seconds. And taking to X, she wrote, “12.44 in a “catch up” race to end an unforgettable season… I guess you can call me a rookie and a vet.” She secured the bronze medal in the race. But this time, things will be a bit fierier. 

We can expect Masai Russell to stay more focused at the next Athlos NYC event. She wouldn’t really mind the movements and flinches before the start of the 100m hurdles. Instead, she’d try to beat Gabby Thomas and Brittany Brown to get the crown. Now, the question is, can she really do it? Do let us know what you think of Russell’s Athlos stance.