SAINT-DENIS, France — This is how they do it at Kentucky.
Masai Russell, the U.S. champion from the hurdle factory at the University of Kentucky — which also produced Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone — took gold in dramatic fashion at Stade de France.
By one one-hundredth of a second.
Russell overtook France’s Cyrena Samba-Mayela with a surge in the final 10 meters and a timely lean to get across in 12.33 seconds. Defending champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took the bronze with a time of 12.36.
OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST 🇺🇸🥇@masai_russell wins the 100m hurdles in her Olympic debut!
📺: @NBCOlympics & @peacock #ParisOlympic
pic.twitter.com/pnU8wyzd6o— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 10, 2024
Grace Stark finished fifth at 12.43 seconds. Alaysha Johnson — who gave an impassioned speech after finishing second at the U.S. Trials — hit a hurdle after a great start and finished seventh at 12.93 seconds.
Russell punctuates the excellence of American hurdling in Paris.
First, Grant Holloway and Daniel Roberts won gold and silver in the 110-meter hurdles. Then Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Anna Cockrell went one-two in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Rai Benjamin followed as the 400-meter hurdles champion.
Now Russell has won her first Olympic championship.
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