Masai Russell and Quincy Wilson, Montgomery County runners and products of Potomac’s Bullis School, earned spots on the U.S. Olympic Track and Field team over the weekend.
Russell, 24, who graduated from Bullis in 2018, finished the 100-meter hurdle final in first place Sunday and also set an Olympic trials record at 12.25 seconds. Her time broke a 24-year-old meet record that had been held by Gail Devers (12.33 seconds).
After the race, Russell spoke to NBC’s Lewis Johnson about securing her spot to compete in the Paris Olympics this month.
“I have so many emotions because this has been the hardest season of my life. People were doubting me. Talking about ever since I signed with Nike I’ve been trash,” Russell said. “Just saying all these things about me. But I just stayed true to myself, my work and my craft and this is all God.”
On Monday, Bullis announced that Wilson, a rising junior at the school, will be part of Team USA men’s track and field team. After his hopes were dimmed last week when he failed to qualify for an individual race, it was announced Monday that he’d be part of the 4×400-relay pool.
The 16-year-old is now the youngest male U.S. track and field Olympian ever.
Wilson’s coach Joe Lee received the news Sunday that the teen had made the team, though the team won’t officially be announced until July 8, USA Today reported.
“The call came directly to me from USA Track & Field,” Lee told USA TODAY. “I called Quincy afterwards with the good news.”
At the U.S. Olympic trials in Eugene, Oregon, last week, Wilson placed sixth in the 400-meter final with a time of 44.94 seconds, according to a Bullis press release.
During the trials, Wilson also broke the under-18 world record in the 400-meter race with a time of 44.66 seconds, a record that had been previously held by Darrell Robinson for 42 years, the release stated. In the semifinal heat on June 23, Wilson finished third and set a new personal and world record with a time of 44.59 seconds.
Bullis Head of School Christian Sullivan said in the release that Wilson’s accomplishment was “thrilling” for the school to watch.
“His poise, sportsmanship, and ability to perform under pressure reflect who he is at Bullis every day. In addition to being a phenomenal athlete, he is a consummate scholar who encourages all his classmates to strive to be their best,” Sullivan said in the release. “We see big things in every aspect of Quincy’s future, and we’re beyond proud to see him represent our country in Paris.”
Boyds gymnast suffers Achilles injury
Kayla DiCello, an Olympic gymnast hopeful from Boyds, had to withdraw from the U.S. Olympic Team Trials on Friday after she ruptured her Achilles on the opening vault event.
In an Instagram post Sunday DiCello wrote: “While this is not the result I envisioned, there’s so much to be proud of. Years of tireless work and dedication in the gym with the dream of representing my country once more at the Olympic Games. Pushing myself to go after new skills, new dreams.”
As DiCello begins her recovery, she said the setback was “not the end of my story.”
According to the Associated Press, DiCello failed to complete her vault and flipped over the apparatus once to land on her back. She was then tended to by medical personnel and carried off the competition floor.
The 20-year-old from Boyds won the Winter Cup this year and was the 2023 Pan American Games all-around champion. The Northwest High School alumna competed with the women’s gymnastics team at the University of Florida and announced in April 2023 that she planned to take a gap year to pursue her dreams of making the Olympic team.
DiCello was an alternate athlete on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team for the Tokyo 2020 Games.