IT SEEMED LIKE anybody’s race. The experts were hard-pressed to identify a solid favorite on the line of the 100H final. While the event had witnessed many great performances this season, including 2 new athletes in the all-time top 10, no one had established dominance.
Masai Russell is the perfect example. The 24-year-old Kentucky alum had lost every indoor and outdoor meet prior to the Olympic Trials, where she became the No. 2 American ever as she won in 12.25. Between then and the Games, she had competed only once, placing 3rd. And yet when the dust settled in the Stade de France, she had claimed the gold medal with her 12.33 performance, unseating defender Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, another Wildcat alum.
The rounds gave no sign that Russell was the one. In the first heat, WR holder Tobi Amusan beat Alaysha Johnson, 12.49–12.61. Heat II was all about Camacho-Quinn in an impressive 12.42. In heat III, Russell and the Netherlands’ Nadine Visser tied in 12.53.
Heat IV went to Jamaica’s Danielle Williams, the world champion, in 12.59. In heat 5, Ackera Nugent, who had run 12.28 at the Jamaican Trials, beat Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas, 12.65–12.71, with NCAA champ Grace Stark at 12.72.
In Friday’s semis, Stark impressed with a 12.39–12.50 win over Charlton. Then Johnson beat Visser, 12.34–12.43. In the third, Camacho-Quinn ran 12.35 to handle Russell (12.42), Nugent (12.44) and France’s Cyrena Samba-Mayela (12.52). The latter pair got the two time-qualifiers. Amusan ran 12.55 — a time that won bronze in Tokyo — but failed to make the final.
So it was that a field without a clear favorite lined up for the last hurdle race of the Games. Samba-Mayela was in 2, then Visser (3), Stark (4), Russell (5), Johnson (6), Camacho-Quinn (7), Charlton (8), Nugent (9). The wind would be a slight -0.3.
Visser had the quickest reaction to the gun (0.134), but Nugent and Russell beat her to the first hurdle. Visser got slightly ahead at hurdle 2, with Stark pulling even with Russell. Then Camacho-Quinn found her rhythm and moved to 2nd behind Visser. She took the lead at the fifth hurdle with Euro champ Samba-Mayela moving into 3rd.
At hurdle 8, the French hurdler moved into the lead, and coming off hurdle 10, she still led, with Camacho-Quinn and Russell coming off…
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