Masai Russell has already conquered the Olympic Games and now owns the world record in the women’s 100m hurdles. But the American star believes her historic 12.09-second run may only be the beginning.
The reigning Olympic champion stunned the athletics world at the Zurich Diamond League on August 27, powering over the hurdles in 12.09 seconds to erase Nigerian Tobi Amusan’s four-year-old world record of 12.12.
Russell lowered the official world record by three hundredths of a second, doing it with a legal wind reading of 0.0 meters per second. Amusan finished second in 12.23 seconds, while European champion Nadine Visser of the Netherlands took third in 12.34.
But a week after the breakthrough, Russell delivered an even more intriguing message to her rivals: she believes she is still getting better.
“I think I just unlocked a new level,” Russell said, according to Reuters. She added that she still felt she was in even better shape than she had been the previous week.
That has raised the possibility of something the event has never officially seen — a woman breaking the 12-second barrier.
From chasing Amusan to replacing her
Russell’s record did not come out of nowhere.
Earlier this year in Xiamen, China, she clocked 12.14 seconds, moving within just two hundredths of Amusan’s world record. That performance was then the second-fastest legal time ever recorded in the women’s 100m hurdles.
She continued to build momentum throughout the season, including a 12.27-second victory at the Lausanne Diamond League on August 21.
By the time she arrived in Zurich, Russell had already established herself as the leading threat to Amusan’s record.
Then she finally delivered.
World Athletics described Russell’s Zurich performance as a flawless run, with the American pulling away over the final hurdle to stop the clock at 12.09 seconds.
The timing was also dramatic. Brazilian Alison dos Santos had broken the men’s 400m hurdles world record earlier that same evening. Less than 40 minutes later, Russell produced another world record, turning Zurich into one of the most extraordinary nights of the 2026 Diamond League season.
Amusan watched her own record fall
There was an unusual twist to Russell’s achievement: Amusan was in the same race.
The Nigerian hurdler, who had held the world record since the 2022 World Athletics Championships, finished second behind the athlete who had just taken her place in the record books.
Amusan originally set the world record at 12.12 seconds in her 2022 World Championships semifinal.
She also ran 12.06 seconds in the final, which remains the fastest 100m hurdles time ever recorded under any conditions. However, that performance cannot be recognised as a world record because the following wind was +2.5m/s, exceeding the permitted +2.0m/s limit.
Russell’s 12.09, by contrast, was recorded with no wind assistance.
That makes her the official fastest woman ever over the 100m hurdles under legal conditions.
Olympic champion, now world-record holder
Russell’s latest achievement adds another major milestone to a career that has risen rapidly.
At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, she won the women’s 100m hurdles gold medal in 12.33 seconds. She had earned her Olympic place by winning the event at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 12.25 seconds.
She has now added a world record to her Olympic title — a combination that places her among the most accomplished American hurdlers in history.
NBC Sports noted that Russell is only the second U.S. woman, alongside Keni Harrison, to hold the women’s 100m hurdles world record.
And Russell isn’t satisfied with 12.09
Perhaps the most striking part of Russell’s record-breaking performance is what she believes could come next.
Speaking after the race, Russell suggested that a favourable legal wind could potentially help her challenge the 12-second barrier.
“If we get a 1.9 wind behind my back, that could have been a sub-12 race,” she said, according to NBC Sports.
That possibility has transformed the conversation around women’s 100m hurdles.
For years, Amusan’s 12.12 appeared to be an extraordinary benchmark. Russell has now lowered it to 12.09 — and is openly talking about going even faster.
The next test is already waiting
Russell’s world-record celebration comes at a crucial stage of the season.
The Wanda Diamond League Final in Brussels is next, followed by the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest. World Athletics identified both events as major upcoming stages following the extraordinary Zurich meeting.
That means Russell will not have to wait long to find out whether her new level is sustainable.
The Olympic champion has already broken the world record.
Now the bigger question is whether she can break her own record — and become the first woman to officially run the 100m hurdles in under 12 seconds.
At 26, Russell may have just rewritten the record book.
She may not be finished writing it yet.
WWC ONE MEDIA MJE
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