"It can eat you...take your life" - Masai Russell opens up on the physical and psychological toll faced by student-athletes

Masai Russell has revealed the dark reality of student-athletes, who are made to push their limits to an extent that puts their lives at stake. The reigning 100m hurdles Olympic gold medalist also noted how the athletes don't get compensated enough for their hard work.

Russell, 25, graduated from Bullis School in 2018 and from the University of Kentucky in 2023 with a degree in Health Science. During her time as a Kentucky Wildcats athlete, she earned the U.S. NCAA Record holder in the 100 m hurdles.

Despite making waves in her NCAA career, the Olympian noted how college athletes put in so much hard work that they get on the verge of losing their lives. Masai Russell also shed light on the insufficient compensation for college athletes against the hard work they do.

"When I was starting out in college, they got that stipend going they got this. They got that like that stipend is not doing much exactly compared to how much mental and physical emotional, the list goes on. So, I feel like you just got to be an animal like just as much as it pushes at you have to push back to it or you know, it can eat you it can literally take your life," Russell said in the Sports Xposure Podcast. (16:52)

She also raised concern over the situation of college athletes and voiced the need for an amendment. Russell added:

"I think more needs to be done like more help needs to be put in place for us athletes. And it's just like 'all right produce produce and then we just going to move on to the next person'. I understand it's life but these are lives that have been lost because of this entity."

Masai Russell soared to her first Olympic gold in the 100m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Games.

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Masai Russell shared how her teammates bullied her during high school

Masai Russell running the 100m hurdles at the Olympic Games Paris 2024: (Source: Getty)

Since Russell's mother was occupied with her medical duties as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, her father trained her on the track. When her mother was sick during her senior year at Bullis School, Russell was bullied by her teammates since she earned a place in Team USA.

"My senior year, my mom, she was sick, and you know the girls on the track team were hating I had made like USA teams, they was mad I was wearing my USA gear and it was just like little petty things," Masai Russell said to the Sports Xposure Podcast. (3:58)

The Kentucky Wildcats alumna finished third in the 100m hurdles at the Athlos NYC to conclude her track season.