"Really crazy to just look back" - Masai Russell reminisces the sacrifices made by her parents during her childhood days

Olympic champion Masai Russell recently reflected on the sacrifices she and her parents made during her childhood. These adjustments by the family played a significant role in shaping her career.

Russell had a remarkable Paris Olympics campaign where she became an Olympic gold medalist with a brilliant effort of 12.33s, edging out France's Cyréna Samba-Mayela, who clocked an impressive 12.34s in a nail-biting finish. After winning the gold at the quadrennial games, Russell's popularity has skyrocketed.

Recently, the 24-year-old featured on The Pivot Podcast, where she reminisced about the time her parents sent her to Bullis School, which was farther from her place and where none of her friends went. Although she wasn't keen about the move during that time, it became one of the initial steps that led to her success in the world of athletics. Russell also expressed gratitude to her parents during the conversation, stating (25:06 onwards):

"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."

"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," Russell, 24, added.

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Masai Russell reveals her name was inspired by "Maasai Designs"

Masai Russell (Image via Getty Images)

While competing in hurdling events at the University of Kentucky, Masai Russell shared with YourSportsEdge.com the story behind her name. She revealed that her parents, Sharon and Mark Russell, were inspired by "Maasai Designs," which they saw on a door. She said:

"They were having a hard time figuring out what to name me and both just liked that."

However, many people also thought her name was influenced by the semi-nomadic 'Maasai' ethnic group from Kenya and northern Tanzania.

"The Maasai are fast people but they are also very tall, which I am not. But I do like that they are fast," she added.

Notably, Russell ended her collegiate journey at Kentucky by winning three silver medals at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and being the NCAA record holder in the 100m hurdles with a 12.36s sprint at the 2023 Texas Relays.