INDIANAPOLIS -- Bettering her own women's American record* in the 100 hurdles, Masai Russell (Lexington, KY/USATF Potomac Valley) earned recognition as the 20th USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2026.
Extending her unbeaten streak in 2026 to four meets, Russell skimmed the barriers at the Xiamen Diamond League meet in China to clock 12.14 seconds, trimming .03 off her American record of 12.17 that she set at Miramar, Florida, last year.
The 2024 Olympic champion in Paris, Russell just missed the world record of 12.12 that was set by Nigeria's Tobi Amusan at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene and moved to No. 2 on the all-time world performer list. Last week she won the Shaoxing, China, Diamond League meet in 12.25, then the 10th-fastest time ever by an American.
Other top performances from last week:
Rachel Richeson won the women's hammer at the USATF Throws Festival with a lifetime best of 78.95/259-0, making her the No. 3 all-time U.S. performer in the event.
Madison Wiltrout twice improved her lifetime best in the women's javelin at the USATF Throws Festival, winning with a 63.88/209-7 to become the No. 6 all-time U.S. performer.
* – American records are subject to verification by the USATF Records Committee
Now in its 25th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
2026 Winners: January 15, Jonathan Simms; January 22, Michelle Rohl; January 29, Josh Hoey; February 5, Roisin Willis; February 12, Jordan Geist; February 19, Cole Hocker; February 26, Cynthia McNamee; March 5, Chase Jackson; March 12, Lauren Harris; March 19, Garrett Kaalund; March 26, Cooper Lutkenhaus; April 2, Rudy Winkler; April 9, Max Thomas; April 16, Sam Mattis; April 23, Tahmar Upshaw; April 30, Kaitlin Bounds; May 7, Karissa Schweizer; May 14, Anna Cockrell; May 21, Tatyana McFadden; May 28, Masai Russell.
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.
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