Masai Russell makes her feelings known for her father on his birthday

Masai Russell shared a picture with her father, Mark Rusell, and wished him a happy birthday with a heartfelt message. Russell is fresh off her double gold podium at the Texas Tech Corky Classic.

Masai Russell made waves at the Paris Olympic stage, winning the 100m hurdles in 12.33s. She continued her excellence at the Athlos NYC, clinching a podium finish to cap her year. In 2025, she competed in the 60m and 60m hurdles at the Texas Tech Corky Classic, winning both events in 7.34s and 7.89s, respectively.

In preparation for the upcoming Millrose Games, the Olympian posted an adorable picture on her Instagram story wishing her father a birthday

"Happy birthday to the man with the plan. I love you dad and so very thankful for all that you've done for me. Enjoy you day cause you deserve it old man."

Masai Russell wishes her father a birthday; Instagram - @masai_russell

Russell once talked about her parents' sacrifices for her success in athletics. She narrated how she was not pleased when her parents sent her to Bullis School but later realized that the move benefited her career. (via the Pivot Podcast)

"I can only appreciate and thank my parents because you know at a certain age your parents are the ones that direct your steps. Then at a certain point, you know you got to let your kid's wings fly and you know my dad putting me into Bullis, the high school that Quincy Wilson goes to, he doing his thing." (25:06 onwards)

She continued:\

"I didn't want to go to school an hour away from my friend, friends in my area, my predominantly black area that I came from. But, you know it's what I had to do to be here now and it's just really crazy to just look back at all the sacrifices that were made from when I was a young girl."

Masai Russell offered glimpses of her 2024 achievements that she already envisioned

Russell share a moment at the Buffalo Bills v Baltimore Ravens - (Source: Getty)

Russell, who holds a personal best of 12.25s in the 100-meter hurdles, competed in the Olympics in her first year as a professional. In addition to winning her maiden gold in the French capital, the hurdler made special appearances in podcasts and events and received the Breakthrough Performer Wing Award from USATF.

She also bought a car and a house, everything she put up on her vision board at the beginning of 2024. She concluded her year with an Instagram video montage of her accomplishments and the vision board contents on December 31, 2024.

"This is your sign to do a vision board for 2025. Grateful for every hardship that shaped my journey. Here’s to embracing the lessons and celebrating the growth."

On January 1, 2025, Masai Russell celebrated the milestone of 500k followers on Instagram that she manifested throughout 2024.

Russell holds the US NCAA record in the 100m hurdles and boasts a couple of podiums from the collegiate events.