"The fire continues and the fight remains" - Masai Russell vows to come back stronger after podium miss at World Athletics Championships

Masai Russell shared how she still needs to redeem herself on the world stage despite already proving herself as an Olympic gold medalist. This came after her fourth-place finish in the women’s 100m hurdles at the World Athletics Championships 2025.

She missed the podium after clocking 12.44s in the final, with Ditaji Kambundji taking gold in 12.24s. Tobi Amusan and Russell’s compatriot secured the silver and bronze medals with times of 12.29s and 12.34s, respectively.

In a post-race interview, Masai Russell reflected on the disappointment of her placement and shared how she aimed to bounce back stronger, stating (0:16 onwards):

“I feel like I have to redeem myself on the world stage. I haven't done it yet on the world stage like on the world championship stage. I feel like I've done it at the Olympics. And, you know, I feel like, you know, in 2023, I hit the hurdle and then here I came fourth. So, it was better.” “It's a little bit of a progression from last World Championships to now, but you know, it's not what I knew I was capable of and it wasn't what I was coming to do. But, I mean, the fire never never stopped lighting even after I won the Olympics last year. So, the fire continues. The fight remains and I'm going to come back even more scared. I promise,” the 25-year-old added.

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Russell eased her way through the heats with a 12.60s run. However, in the semi-finals, she hit a hurdle, did not finish and had to return home empty-handed. A year later, she achieved the biggest milestone of her career, winning gold at the Paris Olympics with a 12.33s run.

---

Masai Russell opens up after winning her first-ever Diamond League meet

Masai Russell at World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - Source: Getty

Masai Russell expressed her thoughts following winning her career’s first-ever Diamond League win. She recorded this win with a sensational time of 12.19, also breaking the Diamond League record in the women’s 100m hurdles event on August 16.

She reflected on this victory registered at the Silesia Diamond League, via an Instagram post as she captioned it, writing:

“12.19 for the win today in Poland ❤️ First Diamond League Win & DL record 🥳💃🏽One more race in Lausanne til the big show 🙏🏽 blessed and ready for more”

Notably, she finished ahead of her compatriot Tonea Marshall and Nigerian athlete and current world record holder Tobi Amusan, who earned second and third place at the Diamond League event in Poland with times of 12.24s and 12.25s, respectively. Earlier, Russell had made the event’s finals with a 12.36s run in Heat 2.

Edited by Abhiruchi Rout