Masai Russell now owns the fastest women's 100-meter hurdles time ever recorded. The 26-year-old from Washington, DC clocked a 12.09 second-finish at the Diamond League 2026 stop in Zurich on August 27th, erasing the previous world record of 12.12 set by Tobi Amusan in 2022.
Masai Russell's 100-Meter Hurdles World Record Finish
What made the mark even more remarkable was the conditions. Russell posted her time with zero wind assistance. She pulled ahead of Amusan past the 40-meter mark and never let up, while the former record holder finished second with a time of 12.23.
"Every time y'all doubt me I just show y'all that I'm not like anybody else," Russell said in Zurich.
Beyond the world record, Russell remains undefeated in 2026 with 11 consecutive wins. She also became the first women's hurdler since 1988 to hold both Olympic gold and the world record in the event. Earlier this season, she ran 12.14 in Xiamen — then the second-fastest legal time in history.
Still, Russell already has her sights set higher. With a legal tailwind, she believes sub-12 is within reach. And that's a barrier no women's sports athlete has ever broken.
Sha’Carri Richardson is back on track, as the US sprinter opened her 2026 season with a dominant 100-meter win at Sunday’s LA Grand Prix.
The 26-year-old powered out of the blocks and cruised to a first-place finish in 10.99 seconds. Then, fellow US stars Kayla White posted a season-best 11.08 and Tamari Davis clocked 11.11 to sweep the podium.
Reigning Olympic 100-meter hurdles champion Masai Russell shared the spotlight. The US NCAA record-holder won the women’s 100-meter hurdles with a meet-record 12.26.
Richardson earned 100-meter gold at the 2023 World Championships with a career-best 10.65. She subsequently took silver in the 100-meter and gold in the 4x100-meter relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"I feel good for it to be a season opener," Richardson said. "I definitely am just prepared to keep training, keep running and just finish out the season stronger than before."
Four-time Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone maintained her 400-meter crown this weekend, completing her second straight 400-meter events sweep at the Grand Slam Track series' Miami meet on Sunday.
One month after completing the sweep at the first Grand Slam meet in Kingston, Jamaica, the 25-year-old US track star won Saturday's 400-meter hurdles with a time of 52.07 seconds before also taking Sunday's 400-meter flat event in 49.69 seconds — a race that earned McLaughlin-Levrone a $100,000 winner's check.
McLaughlin-Levrone has a veritable stranglehold on the 400-meter hurdles, dominating that race since her last loss at the 2019 World Championships.
In that span, she blasted through six world records across 12 straight victories — lowering the women's 400-meter hurdles world standard from 52.16 seconds to a blistering 50.37-second pace.
With two more Grand Slam meets in Philadelphia and LA in the coming weeks, McLaughlin-Levrone is considering a literal change of pace, temporarily switching to run the 100-meter events — a distance she hasn't competed in since 2018.
Should she take on the shorter sprints, McLaughlin-Levrone could find herself racing against the reigning Olympic champion in the 100-meter hurdles, Masai Russell — who notably posted the second-fastest time in the event's history, not to mention a new US record, by winning in 12.17 seconds on Friday.
How to watch the final two Grand Slam Track meets
McLaughlin-Levrone, Russell, and other track stars will next compete in the third Grand Slam Track meet in Philadelphia from May 30th through June 1st, before closing out the series in LA between June 27th and June 29th.
All 2025 Grand Slam Track meets stream live on Peacock.