Nugent: ‘My victory is not like a revenge for the Olympics, I am just in a really good shape’

Ackera Nugent ran 12.24 to set a new world lead, meeting record, Jamaican record and lifetime best to win the 100m hurdles event at the Golden Gala Diamond League meeting in Rome.

The Jamaican defeated Olympic champion, Masai Russell to win for the second straight Diamond League meeting after running 12.29 to set a new meeting record in Silesia, Poland last week.

Nugent says she does not see her victory over Russell as a revenge as both came to the Paris 2024 Olympics brandishing runs inside 12.3 seconds.

The Jamaican came with a 12.28 lifetime best at the time while Russell came with 12.25 lifetime best and world lead at the time.

While Russell went on to win in Paris, Nugent, all nerves, could not finish.

Nugent says she does not see her win over Russell in Rome as a revenge and warns that she is here to stay.

‘This victory is not like a revenge for the Olympics for me. I am just in a really good shape. I was injured before and this is a new experience for me. I am still so young.

‘I still got to show up. My emotions? I guess they have not kicked in yet because I am still so full of adrenaline. I cannot tell you. Yeah, I kind of expected to win here. I really enjoyed this race. For the next races, I do not promise anything because it will depend on the day and the weather also,’ she said post-race.

Russell was unruffled but believes there are still much more to come from her.

‘My life has not change that much since winning the Olympics, since I am still in season. I think it might change after the season is over. I went home for 1.5 weeks after Paris, just to reset, but I am ready for more races.

‘The plan for the future is to win more races and medals. Running on the circuit is still a new experience for me and it has been amazing. The fans are great, and it is a great experience. I need this experience so that when the next big international event comes up, it is just another game in the park for me,’ said the Olympic champion after the race.