Shaq, Waka Flocka and Jennifer Hudson congratulate Masai Russell on Olympic gold medal

“Masai Russell will be an Olympic gold medalist,” the former Kentucky track and field star told the world entering the 2024 Paris Olympics. And then she did it, speaking the Women’s 100M Hurdle Final victory into existence, earning first place and the gold medal with a 12.33.

Not too shabby for her first-ever appearance in the Olympics.

THE OLYMPIC DEBUTANTE IS AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION.

Masai Russell wins 100m hurdles gold by .01 seconds! 🤯 #ParisOlympics

📺 NBC & Peacock pic.twitter.com/Q65Lb7WwUr

— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 10, 2024

It’s been quite the whirlwind for the former Wildcat since then, her phone blowing up with some big-time celebrities reaching out to congratulate Masai Russell on her victory on the world’s biggest and brightest stage.

“Shaq, Shaquille O’Neal — he DM’d me and told me congratulations,” Russell said on 630 WLAP’s Sunday Morning Sports Talk this weekend. “Waka Flocka Flame, he told me congratulations. And then there were a couple of other people who I can’t think of right at this second, but Shaquille O’Neal is probably the most famous that reached out to me. Oh yeah, and Jennifer Hudson followed me on Instagram. It’s been some pretty notable people, for sure.”

That’s to be expected when you break through as a household name in the Olympics, edging out a world-class field to claim the 100mH title. It helps when you’ve got a photo finish on your side, viewers on the edge of their seat awaiting the results where any one of the top three finishers could have claimed gold — including fellow Kentucky T&F alum Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who finished in third for the bronze medal.

When Russell’s name popped up in first for the gold, it’s fair to say she lost her mind.

“I knew I had a really good chance. I don’t know where I was at, but I knew I was in medal contention,” the former Wildcat said. “That’s why I was kind of jumping around like, ‘Come on, come on, come on. Give it to me, give it to me. Come on, come on.’ I was just so geeked up to see where my name was gonna fall. I didn’t know if it was gonna be one, two. I had a good feeling it was in the top two, but in that moment when I saw my name pop up, I literally just took off and screamed. I just went crazy, as you can probably tell from the replays.”

How does she feel now that the dust has settled on her win, back home from the 2024 Paris Olympics? It’s a dream come true for the young woman who once had her scholarship pulled from Texas A&M the day before signing day.

Just a few short years later, she’s an Olympic gold medalist.

“I mean, this is just a dream,” Russell said. “To be an Olympic champion, to be called an Olympic champ — I mean, there are some talented, amazing runners who would never be able to say that they have an Olympic gold medal. The fact that I’m able to wear that title strong and know that my work backs behind that? It just means the world because I put so much into it. I never gave up on myself.

“So I just really want to be that driving force and source for those younger or older, just to never give up on yourself and never give up on your dreams.”