Masai Russell breaks American 100-meter hurdles record in Grand Slam Track event

Russell’s 12.17-second sprint in Florida becomes second-fastest time in history, fueling Michael Johnson’s new Grand Slam Track league.

Masai Russell of the United States celebrates after winning gold in the women's 100m hurdles final during the athletics competition at Stade de France at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games on August 10, 2024, in Paris, France. Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis

By Anna Fadiah and Hayu Andini

Masai Russell breaks the American 100-meter hurdles record with a blistering 12.17-second sprint, becoming the second-fastest woman in history over the distance and energizing the new Grand Slam Track league launched by Olympic legend Michael Johnson.

Under blue skies at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida, on Friday, the 24-year-old Olympic gold medalist edged past fellow American Tia Jones by a razor-thin margin. Jones’s time of 12.19 seconds now ranks as the third-fastest ever, making the race one of the most remarkable showdowns in sprint hurdle history.

Though aided by a tailwind of 2.0 meters per second—the maximum allowed for record recognition—Russell’s result stood as legal and historic. Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan remains the world record holder at 12.12 seconds, set at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon. But Russell’s name now sits just behind hers in the global rankings, placing the American firmly among the sport’s elite.

Russell’s performance adds prestige and energy to the budding Grand Slam Track league, which was launched this year by Michael Johnson, the four-time Olympic gold medalist. Designed to keep track and field in the public eye outside Olympic cycles, the league features four events between April and June, with each “Slam” hosting two races per athlete across six disciplines divided by gender and distance. The best cumulative performer in each category wins a $100,000 prize.

The Miramar meet is the second of four on the 2025 Grand Slam Track calendar. The opening event, held last month in Kingston, Jamaica, drew a mixed reception—some stellar races, others below standard—as many athletes were still ramping up their form early in the season. But Friday’s record-breaking 100-meter hurdles immediately elevated the league’s profile and served as the standout moment of the day’s eight races.

Russell, who took gold in the women’s 100-meter hurdles at the Paris Olympics with a 12.33-second run, edged out France’s Cyréna Samba-Mayela in a photo finish. But Friday’s run was even more explosive. From the gun, she exploded out of the blocks with flawless form and rapid turnover, maintaining her rhythm to the finish as the crowd roared. The stadium, though modest at 5,000 seats, was packed and buzzing.

By contrast, the league’s Kingston debut at Jamaica’s 35,000-seat national stadium saw sparse attendance. Johnson had expressed hope that American audiences would turn out in stronger numbers, and the Florida crowd delivered. The visibly emotional Johnson leapt in celebration as Russell crossed the line, recognizing the moment not just as a record but as a validation of his league’s mission.

“Setting records isn’t our primary goal,” Johnson previously said. “But we won’t turn them down.”

Russell will take to the track again on Saturday to run the 100-meter dash, the second race in the women’s short hurdles category. Her cumulative results across the two events will determine her standing in the competition for the six-figure prize.

Elsewhere in Friday’s action, Great Britain’s Josh Kerr captured the men’s 1,500-meter in 3:34.51, narrowly defeating American Olympic medalists Yared Nuguse and Cole Hocker. The three men will race again Saturday in the 800-meter run—setting up another tightly contested battle. The Kingston meet had featured them in the 1,500 against Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi, the Olympic 800-meter champion, who was absent from Friday’s lineup but looms large in the league’s narrative.

In the women’s short sprints category, Melissa Jefferson-Wooden clocked a season-best 10.75 seconds in the 100-meter dash. The Paris bronze medalist looked dominant throughout, reinforcing her status as a top sprinter in 2025.

The Grand Slam Track league’s remaining stops are scheduled for Philadelphia (May 30–June 1) and Los Angeles (June 27–29). With two events still to come and world-class athletes setting records and forging rivalries, the league’s momentum appears to be growing. Johnson's experiment—to bring structure, prize money, and star power to a sport too often forgotten between Olympic years—is showing early signs of success.

For Russell, her Florida run marks more than a personal best. It positions her as a face of American track and field in 2025 and one of the early heroes of the Grand Slam Track’s ambitious mission. Her blistering time has made history, sparked buzz, and reminded the world that U.S. sprint hurdlers remain a force to be reckoned with.