Masai Russell Shatters 100m Hurdles World Record

Masai Russell of the United States has set a new world record in the 100m hurdles, adding to her impressive Olympic gold medal achievement in the event. Russell showcased her prowess by running 12.09 seconds at a Diamond League meet in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday. This remarkable performance clipped three hundredths off the previous world record held by Nigerian athlete, Tobi Amusan, during the 2022 World Championships.

In the race, Amusan finished as the runner-up with a time of 12.23 seconds. Russell, hailing from Washington, D.C., has consistently been a top performer in the sport. She has previously clocked the second and third-fastest times behind the previous record. Her times include 12.14 in May 2026 and 12.17 in May 2025, along with the joint-fourth-fastest time of 12.19 in August 2025.

Upon completing her record-setting run, Russell made a shushing gesture. Reflecting later, she acknowledged online skepticism: “I see what people say online,” she remarked. “People were like, ‘Masai’s PB by the end of her career is going to be 12.14.’ I bookmarked that. I can’t wait to quote-tweet that because I’m just like, y’all really doubted me? Every time y’all doubt me I just show y’all that I’m not like anybody else.”

Russell’s achievement is heightened by the fact that her world record was set with zero wind, an impressive feat given that Amusan’s previous record was accomplished in less-than-ideal conditions. Although Amusan holds the all conditions fastest time at 12.06 during the 2022 World Championships, it was aided by a 2.5 meter/second tailwind, surpassing the world record eligibility limit of 2.0 meters/second.

Russell commented on her own record: “If we get a 1.9 wind behind my back, that could have been a sub-12 race. Everything that I’ve said that I wanted to do has come into fruition, so why not say I think I can be the first one to run sub-12?”

Russell has made history as the first woman to hold both Olympic gold and the world record in the 100m hurdles since Bulgarian athlete Yordanka Donkova. Donkova achieved Olympic gold in 1988 and maintained the world record until 2016 when Keni Harrison of the United States surpassed it. Russell and Harrison are the only women from the U.S. to have held the 100m hurdles world record. In contrast, Ja’Kobe Tharp remains the sole American man to hold a world record in an individual running event on the Olympic program.