Masai Russell has opened up about the impact Gabby Thomas has brought to the sport following her discussions with Alexis Ohanian that saw the birth of Athlos, the women-only event scheduled for Thursday, September 26.
explained that knowing that Gabby Thomas was involved in the planning made her confident that the event would be of high standards and everything would be run well. She explained that the triple Olympic champion understands the challenges faced by female athletes and being at the forefront of the planning, she will be out to ensure everything is met.
Masai Russell added that the fact that is a Harvard University graduate is proof that she can be able to get any job done and she had no doubts about signing up for the women’s 100m hurdles race at the event.
Olympic 100m hurdles champion Masai Russell is excited to compete in Athlos and the Grand Slam Track league, highlighting the key motivations behind her thrill.
“Yeah, I mean obviously I’m mind blown then again I’m not because of course she is a Harvard graduate but when I saw was that she was on the panel with Alexis and they were talking about this meet and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is going to be a great meet because Gabby is a part of it.’,” Russell told
“When I saw it initially I was like this is something I want to be part of because I know someone who runs track was not going to allow this meet to just be thrown together and I know it’s going to be run very well and everything is going to be in alignment so when I saw her with Alexis, I knew it was going to be great,” she added.
Masai Russell will be lining up against fellow strong women including former Olympic champion Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, who will be out to seek revenge from Russell after the American beat her at the Paris Olympic Games.
is coming off a win from the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels and has hopes to continue the winning streak to New York City.
Reigning world champion Danielle Williams will also be in the mix, hoping to end her season on a high after a disappointing outing at the Paris Olympic Games and the Diamond League Meeting she has competed in.