Miami (AFP) – Olympic champion Masai Russell scorched to victory with the second fastest 100m hurdles time in history at the Grand Slam Track meeting in Miami on Saturday, clocking a world leading 12.17 sec. The 24-year-old American star finished just ahead of compatriot Tia Jones, who was second in 12.19 sec — the third fastest time in history.
Russell and Jones, who benefited from a strong following wind which was just on the legal threshold of +2.0 m/s, only narrowly missed out on Tobi Amusan’s world record of 12.12 sec set at the World Championships in Eugene in 2022. “I don’t even know what to say, these girls bring the best out of me every time,” Russell said after her victory at the Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar.
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Russell’s time was also a new American record and a significant improvement on her previous season best of 12.62 sec set in Gainesville, Florida last month. Ackera Nugent was third in 12.34 sec, with former world record holder Keni Harrison finishing fourth in 12.40 sec.
In other races, Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich won the women’s 5,000m in 14:25.80, the fastest time in the world this year. Jereem Richards from Trinidad and Tobago won the men’s 200 in a 2025 world-leading time of 19.86 seconds. Richards, third at the 2017 worlds in London at 200 and a two-time Commonwealth Games champion at the distance, edged Dominican Alex Ogando by 0.002 of a second.
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