INDIANAPOLIS -- Bettering the world and American records in the women's 100 hurdles at the Zürich Diamond League meet, Masai Russell (Lexington, KY/USATF Potomac Valley) earned recognition as the 31st USATF Athlete of the Week award winner for 2026. It is her second AOW award of the year.
The reigning Olympic champion, Russell extended her unbeaten streak to 10 this season with a stunning 12.09 on the lightning-fast surface at storied Letzigrund Stadium to take .03 off the ratified world record that was set in 2022 by Nigeria's Tobi Amusan. She also eclipsed her own American record of 12.14 that was set at the Xiamen Diamond League meet on May 23.
Russell has won six Diamond League races this year and now owns four of the 10 fastest times in history. She also has six of the all-time top 10 U.S. performances. Other top performances from last week:
Chase Jackson bettered her own American record in the women's shot put and became the first U.S. woman to throw farther than 21 meters when she hit 21.02 at the Berlin ISTAF meet. Jackson had a secondary mark of 20.88 and now owns the top 10 all-time U.S. performances in the event. Dan Nehnevaj bettered the American indoor record in the men's two mile race walk with a time of 12:03.31 at Rochester, New York.
Lauren Gregory became the first American woman to win the OCC ultra race, the 50K world championships for mid-distance ultra-runners. Gregory had a come-from-behind victory in 6:08:07, three seconds in front of the runner-up.
Emma Coburn bettered the American record for the women's 2000 steeplechase with her 6:08.25 at Berlin. The ratified record is 6:09.81 by Madie Boreman in 2023.
Joetta Clark-Diggs bettered the American women's 60-64 200 record with a 27.44 at the World Masters Championships in South Korea. Her time was also a Championships record. Now in its 25th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week when there are high-level competitions and features the athlete on USATF.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
2026 Winners: January 15, Jonathan Simms; January 22, Michelle Rohl; January 29, Josh Hoey; February 5, Roisin Willis; February 12, Jordan Geist; February 19, Cole Hocker; February 26, Cynthia McNamee; March 5, Chase Jackson; March 12, Lauren Harris; March 19, Garrett Kaalund; March 26, Cooper Lutkenhaus; April 2, Rudy Winkler; April 9, Max Thomas; April 16, Sam Mattis; April 23, Tahmar Upshaw; April 30, Kaitlin Bounds; May 7, Karissa Schweizer; May 14, Anna Cockrell; May 21, Tatyana McFadden; May 28, Masai Russell; June 4, Joe Kovacs; June 11, Gabby Thomas; June 25, Tate Taylor; July 1, Jamal Britt; July 8, Nikki Hiltz; July 15, Jamal Britt; July 22, Cierra Jackson; July 29, Noah Lyles; August 13, Tate Taylor; August 27, Ethan Strand; September 3, Masai Russell.
We welcome your nominations!
To nominate an athlete for USATF Athlete of the Week, please send a detailed email about their performance to communications@usatf.org.
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