American runner Masai Russell has broken the world record for the 100m hurdles for the second time in a month, during the Diamond League in Shanghai.
Russell was approaching the Shanghai stage after competing in two tournaments in the United States. At the second of them, in early May, the American set the best result of the season in the world with a time of 12.40 seconds.
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In Shanghai, Russell ran a time of 12.25 seconds to win the gold medal. The American beat silver medalist Devinn Charlton of Ghana by 0.13 seconds. The podium was completed by Nigeria's Tobi Amusan, the current world record holder.
With this result, Russell improved her own season world record, as well as last year's Diamond League record. It was set in 2025 by another American, Grace Stark, with a time of 12.42 seconds. Her overall best is 12.17 seconds, set in May 2025 in the United States.
Diamond League. Shanghai. 100m backstroke (women)
- Masai Russell (USA) 12.25 seconds — world season record, Diamond League stage record
- Devinn Charlton (Ghana) 12.38 — national record
- Toby Amusan (Nigeria) 12.41 — best result of the season
“I didn't come here to finish second or third, just to win. During the competition, I turned off the noise, focused on what I could control. It was a real dream come true. The gold medal is just the beginning of a new season. I'm following my training plan and looking forward to the upcoming events throughout the year,” Russell told the organizers.
“This is a winning start to the Diamond League season. I expected to win after running 12.40 seconds two weeks ago and I knew I was in good shape. It was easy, like I fell asleep in the middle of the race and then just found myself at home. I feel like I'm off to a really good start.”
Russell with the world season record in the 100m hurdles. REUTERS/Go Nakamura
Russell fell 0.13 seconds short of Amusan's world record. The American has broken 12.25 seconds for the third time in her career – the previous times she achieved this result were at the Diamond League stage in Eugene (in 2024 and 2025). Russell's result was the 16th best in history, and she also holds the second, third and eighth places in this ranking.
“I will be at the Xiamen stage next week, Los Angeles in three weeks, and then I will start preparing for the next competitions. I aim to win the title at the absolute championship,” the runner added after the finish.