MIRAMAR, FLORIDA, May 2–4—With a jaw-dropping performance by Masai Russell, the very first race of the Miami Slam delivered the kind of punch the Grand Slam Track series needed to show it can produce quality on the level of the Diamond League. Only Melissa Jefferson-Wooden and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone repeated as Slam champions.
Short Hurdles: Olympic champion Russell shocked herself and the world by breaking the American Record in the 100 hurdles with her 12.17. That took down the 12.20 that Keni Harrison had set in London in 2016. It marked a major improvement over her 5th-place hurdle finish in Kingston.
Russell started from lane 4, next to an empty lane 5 (silver medalist Cyréna Samba-Mayela did not run). From every angle, it looked perfectly executed as Russell clicked over the hurdles with nary a wasted motion. In lane 1, Tia Jones kept pace and they appeared inseparable over the final hurdles. Russell dipped better, celebrating her win but apparently not seeing the time until Jones rushed up to tell her.
Disbelief struck both. Perhaps few instantly realized they had seen the second-fastest race in history because Russell hadn’t been notably ahead of the field. Jones hit 12.19 to become the No. 3 U.S. performer ever. Ackera Nugent ran 12.34 and Harrison 12.40. The wind, a perfect 2.0.
“I just went out there and competed,” said Russell. “These women bring the best out of me every single time. I just stayed on my 10, drove to the line, and did what my coach told me to do.”
The second test for the short hurdle group would be Saturday’s 100. In it, Nugent looked most like a sprinter, matching her PR with an 11.09. The Jamaican had a clear lead from the gun, with countrywoman Megan Tapper well back at 11.33. Harrison ran 11.35 and though Russell PRed at 11.40, it was not enough to grab the top prize. That $100,000 prize went to an overjoyed Nugent, one point ahead of Russell in the final standings.
“I just turned 23 and I decided that I need the 100 grand,” said Nugent.
Short Sprints: The wind for the 100 may have been a bit over the allowable at 2.4, but the results left no question that the field came ready for speed. Tamari Davis got out fast but Jefferson-Wooden also got a fine start. She pulled ahead at halfway and rode that margin across the line in 10.75 as Davis clocked 10.79. Three others broke 11.00,…
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