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Masai Russell wins Olympic 100m hurdles gold medal in electrifying photo finish

Matt Connollyby:Matt Connolly•08/10/24•

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Aug 7, 2024; Saint-Denis, FRANCE; Masai Russell (USA) in women's 100m hurdles round 1 heats during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 7, 2024; Saint-Denis, FRANCE; Masai Russell (USA) in women's 100m hurdles round 1 heats during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade de France. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Masai Russell of the United States came from behind to win gold in the 100 meter hurdles on Saturday at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The 24-year-old, who attended Kentucky, topped Cyréna Samba-Mayela of France by .01 seconds to earn the gold, finishing with a time of 12.33 seconds.

You can watch the incredible race that was won by Russell below:

In addition to Masai Russell winning the gold, former Kentucky star Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico earned the bronze, meaning that two of the top three 100 meter women’s hurdlers in the world are former Wildcats athletes.

The gold medal is the first for Russell, who trailed for the majority of the race. The win for the United States is the first for the US in the 100m women’s hurdles since 2016.

While Cyréna Samba-Mayela came up just short of winning the gold to Masai Russell, she did win the first medal for France in track and field at the Paris Olympics.

Russell attended Kentucky from 2018 through 2023. As a graduate senior in 2023, she had a strong year. However, she finished in second in the 100H (12.32), 400H (54.66 PR) and 4×100 Relay (42.46) at the NCAA Championships.

The first place finish for Masai Russell couldn’t have come at a better time as she won on Saturday to earn a gold medal.

United States defeats Brazil to earn gold medal in women’s soccer at Olympics

Masai Russell wasn’t the only American to win gold at the Paris Olympics on Saturday. Elsewhere, the United States women’s soccer team is bringing home the gold for the first time since 2012. Team USA defeated Brazil in the gold medal match of the Paris Olympics on Saturday, earning a 1-0 victory.

The lone goal in the match was scored by Mallory Swanson in the 57th minute. The second-half goal capped an incredible performance by Swanson in Paris.

The gold medal is the fifth for the United States in total in women’s soccer. In addition to the 2012 Olympics, Team USA also won the gold in 1996, 2004 and 2008.

“The heart, the determination, the grit, everything about these players in unbelievable,” USWNT coach Emma Hayes told NBC after the win. “I’m just so proud.

“I was desperate to do well for this country. I’m so emotional because it’s not every day you win a gold medal. … I love America. It made me.”

While Swanson scored the only goal of the game, it was Alyssa Naeher who ensured that Brazil was held off the scoreboard. Naeher made four saves, including a critical one late, to secure the win.