"No I’m not lucky, I’m blessed" - Masai Russell celebrates Paris Olympics 100m hurdles win with Nicki Minaj's hit record 

By Adityan Pillai

Modified Aug 16, 2024 03:50 GMT

Masai Russell won the gold medal in the women's 100m hurdles at the Paris Olympics 2024 in a photo finish. The American athlete celebrated her victory with a famous song from rapper Nicki Minaj, as she embraced one of the lines towards her journey.

Russell arrived in Paris as the NCAA record holder and the fourth-fastest female 100m hurdler of all time. She was one of her country's biggest hopes for a medal and was set to go head-to-head against top athletes like Devynne Charlton and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.

Russell had a strong start and she started pulling away after 80m and faced great challenges from Cyrena Samba-Mayela and Camacho-Quinn. France's Samba-Mayela and Russell had a photo finish, with the American athlete clinching the victory by a close margin of 0.01s.

Masai Russell clocked 12.33s to win her first Olympic gold medal, Cyrena Samba-Mayela won the silver medal with a time of 12.34s, and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn took home the bronze medal with a time of 12.36s. Russel took to Instagram to share her race and celebrate her victory with Nicki Minaj's hit record 'Moment 4 Life.'

She embraced a line from the song and shared it as the caption of her Instagram post, writing:

"No I’m not lucky, I’m blessed 🙏🏽"

Masai Russell on winning her first Olympic gold medal

Athletics - Olympic Games Paris 2024: Day 15 - Source: Getty

Masai Russell took to Instagram to express her thoughts on winning her first Olympic gold medal. The 24-year-old revealed she did not give up despite facing several challenges throughout her journey to the Paris Olympics.

"There was no indication that I would be an Olympic Champion in the 100 hurdles this year & tbh it felt like a distant dream that could never be reached. But here’s the truth…never let anyone sway you from what you believe about yourself," she wrote.

"I got to a point where I was hyper aware of everything, causing me to forget how to hurdle, practice & compete freely. I continued to show up for this version of myself, I knew was possible. I did it without making excuses and I took every L to the chin. I had to be lost, to be found. Focus on your path, stay committed, and believe in yourself. Records can be broken, but the accolades you earn are yours forever," Russell added.

Russell urged young athletes to believe in their dreams and embrace the process to reach their goals.