"Taking the responsibility of being the olympic champion"- Justin Gatlin opens up about Masai Russell's domination in Indoor season opener

Justin Gatlin recently opened up about his thoughts on Masai Russell's positive attitude after winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The athlete recently earned a remarkable feat at the New Balance Grand Indoor Prix.

Russell commenced her 2025 season at the Texas Tech Corky Classic on January 17 and attained victories in the 60m and 60m hurdles. Following this, she ran the first professional race of her career at the New Balance Grand Prix on February 2, 2024, and clocked 7.80s in the 60m hurdles to stand atop the podium.

Following this incredible victory, Justin Gatlin spoke about how Russell is maintaining the dominance after her win at the Paris Olympics in his podcast, 'Ready Set Go.' In this event, the American competed in the 100m hurdles, where she clinched a gold medal after clocking 12.33s. Reflecting on this, the former track athlete lauded the champion for her hard work and for maintaining her legacy.

"Listening to the interviews that Masai has done since winning the gold, it's almost like she takes on the responsibility of being the Olympic champion. You hold it to a higher degree and said I got to train like an Olympic champion, I got to compete like an Olympic champion. I got to dominate these four years, next four years like an Olympic champion would dominate. And that's what she's doing, she's carrying that torch in the right way," said Gatlin. (29:18 onwards)

He added:

"You find a lot of athletes who would be like, 'yay, I won the Olympic champion. Alright, what's next?' and sometimes, they get what you call the post-Olympics blues, where they kind of just nosedive in their performances. They still have the name that comes with it, but a lot of them don't live up to the expectations after the Olympics or winning the gold. But, she is handling business."

Masai Russell opened up about her plans for the 2025 season after her New Balance Indoor Grand Prix triumph

Masai Russell at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix (Image Source: Getty)

After delivering a notable performance at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, Masai Russell reflected on her win in the post-race interview. The American revealed her goals for the rest of the year, stating her wish to secure more wins and world records. Considering the new year as a fresh start for her career, she said:

"This is a new year, new goals, new season. So the slump is gone and you know it's season 2025 and I'm trying to win again," Russell said. "I mean I'm going after lots of wins and world records and goals and you know just to dominate," said Masai Russell.

After winning the race, the athlete also revealed that she will be keeping the flowers, as this was her first professional win. Masai Russell will next be seen competing at the Millrose Games, which is slated for February 8, and will be racing in The Armory for the first time in her career.