Hurdle with Emily Abbate

Welcome Olympic Champion Masai Russell back to Hurdle! Fresh off her historic performances in the 100-meter hurdles, recently clocking a 12.14 for the second fastest time in history and a win at Pre Classic, Masai opens up about her rapid rise to the top and the evolution of her mindset.

Emily and Masai dive deep into the essential difference between having confidence and being cocky, and how Masai protects her peace by switching her focus from standard expectations to execution. Masai reflects on transitioning from an underdog mentality to navigating the pressure of being the one to beat, sharing how she trains her mind to view every performance—good or bad—as an opportunity to sharpen her greatness. From tracking meticulous micro-improvements to redefining what "speed" truly means to her, Masai reveals what it takes to relentlessly pursue her potential and become an undeniable legend in her sport.

IN THIS EPISODE

• The Reality of Expectations: Masai reflects on her transition from the "underdog" to the reigning Olympic Champion, sharing how she had to learn to navigate the immense weight of external expectations.

• Confidence vs. Cockiness: How to separate knowing what you bring to the table from being arrogant, rooted in humble beginnings, hard work, and a tight-knit connection to her community.

• Silencing the Outer Noise: Masai opens up about her mental strategy for keeping the blinders on, treating every major competition as "just another day with the same ten hurdles," and turning down the volume on her own mind.

• The No Bad Days Protocol: A look at how shifting her perspective allowed her to stop looking at setbacks as failures, choosing instead to view every statistical loss as a critical lesson that sets up future greatness.

• The Next Chapter: Masai chats about the microscopic physical adjustments that unlocked her 12.14 performance, why she welcomes the pressure of world-record predictions, and her ultimate vision to become an undeniable legend in the sport.

QUOTABLE MOMENTS

"When that gun goes off, like whatever everyone else says, like none of that matters... at the end of the day, Masai is the one that has to get on that line, execute it, do it, and really not talk about it, but really do it."

"I have had very humble beginnings. I have not come from a winning background. I have had to work for everything that I've gotten, which is why I think that my audience... they're so tight-knit because of the confidence that I exude, but it's also in a way that I'm so sure about myself."

"I feel like I will never lose ... statistically I may lose, but everything from a loss, I always take it as a lesson to just set me up for where I'm at."

"Your thoughts are just your thoughts, and what you put flesh into or what you put life into, that's the reality that you'll get out of it. Quiet your brain down sometimes."

SOCIAL
@masai_russell
@emilyabbate
@iheartwomenssports

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ASK ME A QUESTION: Email hello@hurdle.us to with your questions! Emily answers them every Friday on the show. 

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