American Russell hurdles to world record in Zurich

American Masai Russell has added the 100m hurdles world record to her Olympic gold medal in the event.

Russell ran 12.09 seconds to win a Diamond League meet in Zurich, Switzerland, on Thursday, taking three hundredths off the world record set by Nigerian Tobi Amusan at the 2022 World Championships.

Amusan was runner-up in Thursday’s race in 12.23.

It was the second world record in a 40-minute span in Zurich after Brazilian Alison dos Santos lowered the men’s 400m hurdles time.

Russell, a 26-year-old from Washington, D.C., previously ran the second- and third-fastest times in history behind Amusan’s world record in May 2026 (12.14) and May 2025 (12.17), plus the joint-fourth-fastest time in history in August 2025 (12.19).

When she came to a stop Thursday, Russell held her index finger to her closed mouth in a shushing motion.

“I see what people say online,” she said later. “People were like, ‘Masai’s PB by the end of her career’s going to be 12.14.’ I bookmarked that.

I can’t wait to quote-tweet that because I’m just like, y’all really doubted me Every time y’all doubt me I just show y’all that I’m not like anybody else.”

Russell’s world record came with zero wind, making it all the more impressive. Amusan still has the fastest time in history in all conditions – 12.06 from 2022 Worlds, but with a 2.5 meter/second tailwind, above the limit of 2.0 for world record eligibility.

“If we get a 1.9 wind behind my back, that could have been a sub-12 race,” Russell said of her own world record.

“Everything that I’ve said that I wanted to do has come into fruition, so why not say I think I can be the first one to run sub-12”.

Russell is the first woman to pair Olympic gold with a world record in the event since Bulgarian Yordanka Donkova, who won Olympic gold in 1988 and held the world record from 1988 until 2016, when American Keni Harrison broke it.

Russell and Harrison are the only U.S. women to hold the 100m hurdles world record.