"Look what the worker wrote on my cup" -Masai Russell gets a pleasant surprise as she orders smoothies after the Paris Olympics

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Sep 20, 2024 02:58 GMT

Masai Russell has been on a short break. The Olympic champion recently received a sweet surprise as she ordered a smoothie at one of the outlets of Smoothie King.

Russell uploaded an Instagram story where she showed the smoothie cup from Smoothie King that had 'Hurdle Queen' written on it. This special cup was in honor of her achievement at the Paris Olympics, where she had won the Olympic gold medal in the 100m hurdles recently.

The 24-year-old wrote in her caption:

"I Door Dashed @smoothieking and look what the worker wrote on my cup."

Screengrab of Masai Russell's 'Smoothie King' Surprise [Image Source: Masai Russell's Instagram]

Masai Russell had also been recently felicitated at her alma mater, i.e., the University of Kentucky, during a college football match for her achievements at the Paris Olympics.

Russell recently opened up on her success at the Paris Olympics, and how she was still in disbelief about it. In her words,

"...."I always look at the brighter side of it, and I just continue to just hold that and work and just have faith. I mean the fact that to this day I'm still saying I'm the Olympic champion, it still sounds so crazy."

Masai Russell also participated in the Rome Diamond League and the Zurich Diamond League, respectively. Though she finished third in both places, she couldn't get enough points to qualify for the Diamond League Finals, which were held in Brussels, Belgium.

---

Masai Russell at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Masai Russell of the USA reacts after winning the women's 100m hurdles event at the Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Source: Getty]

Masai Russell had entered the Paris Olympics as one of the dark horses in the women's 100m hurdles. The American hurdler had recorded a world-leading time of 12.25 seconds at the US Olympic Track and Field Trials held at Eugene in June 2024, which was 0.1 seconds higher than defending Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn's Olympic record of 12.26 seconds, established at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

However, the journey to the Olympic gold was anything but easy. Apart from the local favorite Cyrena Samba-Mayela and the defending Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, Russell would also have to face the Nigerian sensation Tobi Amusan, who holds the current world record of 12.12 seconds.

The American hurdler began her campaign on a decent note, topping the heats with a time of 12.53 seconds. The semifinals were quite intense, due to which Tobi Amusan got eliminated despite coming third in her heats.

In the final heat of the semifinals, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn qualified for the finals with ease, recording a timing of 12.35 seconds. However, Masai Russell wasn't far behind, qualifying on the second position with a timing of 12.42 seconds.

Masai Russell was one of the quickest starters, and she secured a lead within the first few meters. However, the French hurdler Cyrena Samba-Mayela and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn from Puerto Rico weren't far behind. The race was so intense that the results had to be decided via photo finish.

Masai Russell emerged as the champion, winning the Olympic gold with a timing of 12.33 seconds. Cyrena Samba-Mayela of France came in second, while Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who had previously won the Olympic gold in Tokyo, had to settle for the bronze medal.