Olympic champion Masai Russell is tapping into her mental fortitude to embrace the hardships that come with success on the track ahead of an action packed 2025 season.
Fresh off her stunning Olympic gold medal win in 2022, track and field star Masai Russell has offered insight into her relentless mindset and the role of pain and hardship in her journey to the top.
In a candid reflection on her training and career, Russell shared her love for hurdling and her willingness to embrace discomfort for the sake of improvement.
“What y’all are going to learn about me is that I’m not bad at running. I used to run before I started doing hurdles, but running hurdles? That has taken my heart,” she revealed in a recent training Vlog posted on her YouTube channel.
Russell’s relationship with running, however, is far from romantic. “I’ll be honest, when it comes to running, I’m not a big fan of it. But you know what? It’s what I’ve got to do to get better, so I’m going to keep at it. I’m going to keep pushing, keep doing what I need to do, hitting the times, and putting in the work.”
For Russell, the grind is non-negotiable. “Today? Today is going to hurt, I’m not going to lie. But it is what it is. I won’t care or even think about it when I’m standing on top of the podium,” she said with resolve.
Russell’s reflections underscore her deep understanding of the physical and mental demands of elite competition.
“I was thinking about that when I was lying dead on the ground. It’s like… the stuff that makes you feel that lactic acid burn and that pain, you’ve got to keep doing it so your body builds a tolerance. When you feel pain, yeah, you build tolerance. You build strength.”
Her advice for aspiring athletes extends beyond the track. “That’s why the hard things? You just have to do them. You’ve got to do the uncomfortable things because those uncomfortable things are what get you to where you want to be, in anything,” she states.
Russell’s philosophy embraces the perpetual challenge of track and field. “That’s the thing about track, it never gets easy. You can always push the limit, push the time, and push the barrier for yourself. It’s a mind game, a mental game, and a physical game because you can always get stronger, faster, and better.”
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Masai Russell has sent a stark warning to Tobi Amusan as she revealed the next biggest goal she wants to achieve after her Olympic gold medal.
As she prepares for the next phase of her career, Russell is setting her sights on new challenges.
She’s gearing up for her debut at the World Athletics Championships and will also compete in the World Indoor 60m hurdles. Additionally, she plans to tackle the flat 100m sprint, showcasing her versatility and determination to excel across multiple disciplines.
