"I'm a beauty and a beast on track" - Masai Russell weighs in on balancing her performance as well as her looks as she aims to continue winning spree

Olympic champion Masai Russell is on a break, though she is preparing for the forthcoming season. The 24-year-old athlete recently expressed her unique approach to balancing her performance as well as her looks, as she aims to further extend her dominance in 2025.

Russell opened up on her plans for the upcoming athletic season on the podcast 'Ready Set Go,' jointly hosted by former Olympic champion Justin Gatlin and former Olympian Rodney Green.

When asked whether it is due to her wins or because of her vocal personality that she is gaining popularity, Russell said:

"I think it's a little mixture of both. I like to say I'm a beauty and a beast on the track, and I think um, you know, I take a lot of pride in how I look and I never wanted to be just a pretty face that couldn't get the job done. So I always took a lot of pride in my craft, but looking good while doing it. So I think it's a mixture of both for sure." [02:37 onwards]

Masai Russell had stormed into the limelight when she clocked a world-leading time of 12.25 seconds at the US Olympic trials held in Eugene, Oregon, in June this year. Russell went on to win the Olympic gold medal in Paris with a time of 12.33 seconds.

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Masai Russell on the upcoming season and the Grand Slam Track

Masai Russell aims to make it big at the Grand Slam Track League and the World Championships next year [Image for Representational Purposes] [Image Source : Getty]

After her historic win at the Paris Olympics, Masai Russell participated in a few more races, including the Athlos NYC, where she stood third overall. In one of her Instagram stories that she uploaded a couple of days ago, Russell wrote:

"To 2024 szn. Excited for 2025, I'm even more hungry.”

The 24-year-old athlete has also signed up for the much-awaited Grand Slam Track League, officially sponsored by former Olympic legend Michael Johnson, who once held the world record for 200m and 400m.

“Signing with Grand Slam Track™ is a great moment for me personally and professionally. The vision for this league is clear - putting fans and athletes first, and that’s something I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of,” Russell mentioned in the official press release.

"Coming off the Olympics, I want to continue regularly competing at the highest level, against the best in the world, and I’m certain that Grand Slam Track™ is the place for that. I’m delighted that Cyréna and Jasmine are joining too, and I’ll look forward to seeing them line up next to me on the track four times next year," she added.

Apart from the Grand Slam Track League, Masai Russell aims to make it count at the World Championships after a close miss at the Budapest World Championships in 2023. Russell will take part in the Tokyo World Championships which will be held from September 13 to September 21, 2025.