"No one cares if I'm showing up"- Masai Russell reflects on her disappointment of not finding a sponsor at the start of the season

2024 Paris Olympics gold medalist Masai Russell opened up about her hardships in finding a sponsor at the start of the 2024 track and field season. This comes just a few weeks after her last track and field meet of the season, Athlos NYC 2024, where she clinched the third position in the 100m hurdles event.

Russell has been a consistent performer in the hurdles circuit with an impressive record for her collegiate team. Competing for her alma mater, the University of Kentucky, Russell has bagged numerous NCAA Division I Championships and also clinched a bronze medal at the USA Championships last year on a national level.

However, even after these performances, Russell was devoid of a sponsor coming into the 2024 season and had to wait for a few months before she struck a deal with a sponsor.

Speaking at the Ready Set Go podcast with track legend Justin Gatlin, Masai Russell shed light on her disappointment after being ignored of sponsorship despite her efforts to get a sponsor. She said (at 22:14):

"I ended up coming into the season without a sponsor, and I mean I felt like I did enough to get that. And when it'd didn't happen the way I expected it to go, you know it kind of threw me off a little bit. So coming into the season, not feeling like I had that support, it was little harder to go to practice."

Russell added further:

"It was a little harder to show up and I was just like no one cares if I'm showing up so why should I care."

During the podcast, Russell also mentioned the support her boyfriend Robbie Springfield showed during this tough time.

Just a few months into the 2024 season, the 24-year-old signed a deal with NIKE, making her a part of the elite family signed with this prominent brand. The Washington native was previously signed with the Britain-based apparel company, Gymshark.

Masai Russell opens up about her time before the 100m hurdles final in Paris

Russell after winning the hurdles event at the 2024 Paris Olympics (Image via: Getty Images)

Masai Russell recently opened up about the sleepless night she had to bear before her 100m hurdles finals in the Paris Olympics.

Speaking during an interview after her first Olympic medal victory with Olympics.com Russell revealed that she could barely sleep the day before her event finals as she was lost with the outcomes destined to come the next day.

"I couldn’t sleep last night because I kept tossing and turning, hearing my name coming up as No. 1."

Masai Russell's victory at the French capital was a career-defining moment for her as it made her the fifth US women's athlete to win an Olympic gold in the discipline.