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 together.
It was the American who had the best lunge to the line, taking the win in 12.33. Samba-Mayela got silver in 12.34 and JCQ bronze in 12.36. Visser edged Stark for 4th though both ran 12.43. Third American Johnson got into trouble at hurdle 3 and finished 7th in 12.93, while Nugent hit hurdle 7 hard and veered off the track.
“It wasn’t about knowing if I could or couldn’t,” said Russell. “It was about remaining focused on what I could do, and honestly, getting through all 10 hurdles and getting to the line first.”
Said host nation favorite Samba-Mayela, “I thought that some days would be the most stressful of my life. But actually, it has been a lot of pleasure because of this crowd. They are lovers of sport, and they shared that pleasure with me, all that joy. It lifted me.”
Camacho-Quinn wasn’t disappointed with bronze. “The people, all three of us, that are on the podium — I wouldn’t want it to be any other way. I’m just glad it’s us three.”
WOMEN’S 100 HURDLES RESULTS
FINAL (August 10; wind –0.3)
(temperature 84F/29C; humidity 40%)
1. Masai Russell (US) 12.33;
2. Cyrena Samba-Mayela (Fra) 12.34;
3. Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (PR) 12.36;
4. Nadine Visser (Neth) 12.43;
5. Grace Stark (US) 12.43;
6. Devynne Charlton (Bah) 12.56;
7. Alaysha Johnson (US) 12.93;
… dnf—Ackera Nugent (Jam).
(lanes: 2. Samba-Mayela; 3. Visser; 4. Stark; 5. Russell; 6. Johnson; 7. Camacho-Quinn; 8. Charlton; 9. Nugent)
(reaction times: 0.134 Visser, 0.137 Russell, 0.138 Nugent, 0.143 Samba-Mayela, 0.151 Johnson, 0.161 Stark, 0.173 Camacho-Quinn, 0.203 Charlton)
HEATS (August 07)
I(-0.1)–1. Tobi Amusan (Ngr) 12.49; 2. Johnson 12.61; 3. Janeek Brown (Jam) 12.84; 4. Mako Fukube (Jpn) 12.85; 5. Sidonie Fiadanantsoa (Mol) 12.92; 6. Yanni Wu (Chn) 12.97; 7. Maayke Tjin A-Lim (Neth) 12.98; 8. Maribel Caicedo (Ecu) 13.05.
II(0.0)–1. Camacho-Quinn 12.42; 2. Cindy Sember (GB) 12.72; 3. Pia Skrzyszowska (Pol) 12.82; 4. Denisha Cartwright (Bah) 12.89; 5. Yumi Tanaka (Jpn) 12.90; 6. Ebony Morrison (Lbr) 12.93; 7. Celeste Mucci (Aus) 13.05; 8. Emelia Chatfield (Hai) 13.06.
III(0.8)–1. Visser 12.53; 1. Russell 12.53; 3. Samba-Mayela 12.56; 4. Charisma Taylor (Bah) 12.78; 5. Mariam Abdul-Rashid (Can) 12.80; 6. Reetta Hurske (Fin) 12.96; 7. Gréta Kerekes (Hun) 13.50; 8. Michelle Jenneke (Aus) 20.85.
IV(0.0)–1. Danielle Williams (Jam) 12.59; 2. Sarah Lavin (Ire) 12.73; 3. Ditaji Kambundji (Swi) 12.81; 4. Marione Fourie (SA) 12.91; 5. Laeticia Bapte (Fra) 13.04; 6. Luca Kozák (Hun) 13.11; 7. Jyothi Yarraji (Ind) 13.16;… dq—Yoveiny Mota (Ven).
V(-0.6)–1. Nugent 12.65; 2. Charlton 12.71; 3. Stark 12.72; 4. Liz Clay (Aus) 12.94; 5. Lotta Harala (Fin) 12.97; 6. Viktória Forster (Svk) 13.08; 7. Yuwei Lin (Chn) 13.24; 8. Michelle Harrison (Can) 13.40.
REPECHAGE (August 08)
I(0.1)–1. Fourie 12.79; 2. A-Lim 12.87; 3. Forster 12.88; 4. Yarraji 13.17; 5. Kerekes 13.20; 6. Chatfield 13.24; 7. Jenneke 13.86.
II(0.4)–1. Morrison 12.82; 2. Caicedo 12.83; 3. Hurske 12.83; 4. Bapte 12.92; 5. Mucci 13.00; 6. Lin 13.13; 7. Harrison 13.30.
III(-0.2)–1. Harala 12.86; 2. Tanaka 12.89; 3. Kozák 12.96; 4. Wu 12.98; 5. Clay 12.99; 6. Fiadanantsoa 13.12; 7. Cartwright 13.45.
SEMIS (August 09)
I(0.5)–1. Stark 12.39; 2. Charlton 12.50; 3. tie, Amusan & Skrzyszowska 12.55; 5. Abdul-Rashid 12.60 PR; 6. Williams 12.82; 7. Tanaka 12.91;… dq[pushing hurdle]—Morrison.
II(0.4)–1. Johnson 12.34; 2. Visser 12.43; 3. Taylor 12.63 PR; 4. Caicedo 12.67; 5. Kambundji 12.68; 6. Lavin 12.69; 7. Brown 12.92; 8. Harala 13.05.
III(-0.7)–1. Camacho-Quinn 12.35; 2. Russell 12.42; 3. Nugent 12.44; 4. Samba-Mayela 12.52; 5. Fukube 12.89; 6. Fourie 13.01; 7. A-Lim 13.03;… dnf—Sember.
