NCAA 100m hurdles record holder Masai Russell gifts herself a Mercedes-Benz ahead of Paris Olympics 2024

American sprinter and hurdler Masai Russell recently gifted herself a new Mercedes-Benz ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Russell is scheduled to compete in the women’s 100m hurdles at the quadrennial Games.

Russell will be heading into the Paris Olympics as one of the strong medal contenders in the discipline, having showcased her brilliance in the 2024 season. The rounds for the 100m hurdles are scheduled in the following manner - round 1 on August 7, repechage on August 8, semifinals on August 9 and finals on August 10.

Ahead of flying to the French capital for the prestigious Games, the 24-year-old gifted herself a Mercedes-Benz. In the pictures she shared of her new car, she was seen dressed in a mauve-colored two-piece outfit where both top and pants were of the same color. Additionally, she wore adorable pink-colored Crocs with green designs on it.

Sharing the images with her fans and followers on Instagram, Masai Russell captioned the post:

“My send off gift to myself before heading to Paris 🇫🇷🥰! The visions for 2024 just keep coming true. I thank God for this life everyday 🙏🏽 #blessed”

American basketball player Angel Reese and Bahamian hurdler Devynne Charlton were among those who expressed their happiness for Russell as she got a new car.

One of the biggest achievements of Masai Russell’s career so far is being the NCAA record holder in the 100m hurdles, clocking a time of 12.36 (+2.0 m/s) during the 2023 Texas Relays. Besides this, she narrowly missed out on a bronze medal at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow after coming fourth in the 60m hurdles in a time of 7.81s.

In addition, Russell signed a sponsorship deal with one of the largest sports footwear and apparel manufacturers, Nike, this year.

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Masai Russell’s road to Paris Olympics 2024

Masai Russell (L), Keni Harrison (C), and Nia Ali (R) at 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

In a bid to qualify for her first Olympic Games, Masai Russell featured at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. She clocked swift times of 12.35s in the heat 2 and 12.36s in the semifinal 3 to emerge as the winner in both her heats and semifinals.

With top athletes like Nia Ali, Keni Harrison and Alaysha Johnson among others qualifying for the finals of the 100m hurdles, the stage was set for a highly competitive final. However, it was Russell who emerged as the winner in the Trials finals, recording a sensational 12.25s which also remains the world-leading mark of the 2024 season.