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Russell, 24, a Potomac native, won the 100-meter hurdle event at the Olympics with a time of 12.33 seconds, though she didn't know if she bested France's Cyréna Samba-Mayela for a stretch even longer than her run as officials reviewed their photo finish.
In the end, Russell's 12.33-second finish was .01 seconds faster than the French star, while Puerto Rican runner Jasmine Camacho-Quinn came in at 12.35 seconds for the bronze.
It is the closest margin of victory any Olympic sprinter can imagine.
"I have so much to say, but yet at a loss of words. This whole season has been a test for this moment," Russell previously posted on social media. "God told me I was going to be an Olympian, but it was up to me to use the tools He provided."
Russell attended the Bullis School, which was happy to celebrate her incredible accomplishment.
According to officials at the school, "Russell was a standout athlete at Bullis, winning eight national titles and setting multiple national records in sprint relays."
In 2018, she was named the Gatorade Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year for the state of Maryland.
Russell went on to the University of Kentucky following her graduation in 2018, where she continued to compete collegiately and internationally, making Team USA with a record-setting 12.25 finish in the Olympic Trials.
"Masai graduated before I began my tenure, but in talking to her former coaches and teachers, I am neither surprised by her achievement nor by the poise with which she performed on the world’s biggest stage in athletics," Head of School Christian Sullivan said in a statement.
"From everything I hear from those in the Bullis community who know Masai well, she is tenacious, goal-oriented, and grateful for the opportunities she’s earned," Sullivan continued.
"Our community has been beside Masai and Quincy throughout the summer. We are immensely proud of them and can’t wait to welcome them home to Bullis."
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