The three medallists in the 100m hurdles from Paris – Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn – join Michael Johnson’s event
Masai Russell, Cyréna Samba-Mayela and Jasmine Camacho-Quinn – the three athletes that made up the Olympic 100m hurdles in Paris – have signed for Grand Slam Track.
In one of the closest races during the entire the Olympics, the trio were separated by just three hundredths of a second with Russell, Samba-Mayela and Camacho-Quinn running 12.33, 12.34 and 12.36 respectively.
Russell claimed gold on her Olympic debut and became the fourth American to stand on the top of the 100m hurdles podium this century after Joanna Hayes, Dawn Harper and Brianna Williams.
Olympic 100m hurdles (Getty)
The 24-year-old is joint-fifth on the all-time list with 12.24 – a time she ran to win the US Championships – and is also the NCAA record-holder over the distance.
“Signing with Grand Slam Track is a great moment for me personally and professionally,” said Russell. “The vision for this league is clear – putting fans and athletes first, and that’s something I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be a part of.
“Coming off the Olympics, I want to continue regularly competing at the highest level, against the best in the world, and I’m certain that Grand Slam Track is the place for that. I’m delighted that Cyréna and Jasmine are joining too, and I’ll look forward to seeing them line up next to me on the track four times next year.”
Cyréna Samba-Mayela (Getty)
Samba-Mayela won France’s only track and field action at the Olympics and was so close to winning the 100m hurdles gold medal.
The 23-year-old also became European 100m hurdles champion, secured a world indoor silver medal in the 60m hurdles and improved her personal best to 12.31.
“This is a very special opportunity for me,” said Samba-Mayela. “I am proud to be the first French athlete to sign with Grand Slam Track and look forward to representing my country in this new and exciting league. Michael’s vision for the sport’s future is huge, and I’m delighted to be able to be a part of it.
“Giving the athletes more freedom to express ourselves and grow our brands is a great step forward in the track world and the fans will reap the benefits of this. Knowing that I will race against Jasmine and Masai four times each year is fantastic and I look forward to continuing to test myself against formidable opposition.”
