"These women force you to" - Masai Russell reacts after clocking American record at Grand Slam Track Miami

Masai Russell opened up about clocking a national record at the second stop of the Grand Slam Track. The event began on May 2, 2025, and will end on May 4 at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar.

Russell made her GST debut in Miami, where she competed in the short hurdles event group and stood atop the podium in the 100m hurdles event. She clocked an impressive world lead and national record of 12.17s, besting Tia Jones and Ackera Nugent, who claimed second and third place after recording 12.19s and 12.34s, respectively.

This win by the American made her the second-fastest woman of all time in the event, with Tobi Amusan in first position. Following this incredible feat, she spoke to FloTrack in the post-match interview, making her feelings known about her performance.

"In shock. Like, I wasn't expecting it, but, you know, like I've been telling everybody that the favor of the lord ain't fair, and I'm just being a vessel, and I just went out there and competed. These women force you to; it forces you to be your best self. It brings the best out of you. So, honestly, like, I'm just floating on cloud nine right now," said Masai Russell.

Russell's first hurdles event of the 2025 season was the 60m hurdles event at the Texas Tech Corky Classic, which was held at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock on January 17-18.

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Masai Russell opened up about her mother being her biggest motivation

Masai Russell attended the Journey to Gold Zone podcast, hosted by USA Track and Field in February 2025, where she made her feelings known about getting inspired by her mother, Dr. Sharon Russell. She revealed how her mother has helped her stay motivated in her career and life's journey.

The hurdler further said that her mother is the first person in their fato become a doctor, and she opened up about following her lead with track and field as her career.

“Yeah, I think for me, this is like a different answer that a lot of people probably will be confused about. But, my biggest inspiration is honestly my mother because she is a doctor. She's a black doctor. She is the first person in our family to do anything that she's ever done. And I mean, I'm kind of the same way. Like I just kind of follow her lead," said Masai Russell. (6:35 onwards)

She added:

“She showed what hard work looked like. She showed what dedication looked like, even though it wasn't on the track like me. She showed what grind was…I was able to see that as a young girl. I was looking up, I looked up to my mom.”

Masai Russell also competed at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, where she competed in the 60m hurdles and registered a time of 7.80s to stand atop the podium.