Team USA Weekly: Russell's 12.14, Rabat Up Next

Masai Russell ran the second-fastest 100m hurdles time in history at Xiamen on Saturday — 12.14 seconds, a new American Record — and she'll be back on the track at Rabat's Diamond League on May 31. Meanwhile 28 US shooters begin medal competition in Munich on Monday, and 37 Americans at Roland Garros produced one of the biggest Day 1 upsets in recent memory when wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy took out No. 7 seed Taylor Fritz. Here is the week of May 25–31.

Masai Russell (USA, Olympic champion in the 100m hurdles) won the women's 100m hurdles at the 2026 Xiamen Diamond League in 12.14 seconds (+0.5 m/s) — breaking her own American Record (previous 12.17, set in Miramar in 2025), setting a Diamond League Record, a Meeting Record, and the 2026 World Lead. 1 The time puts her second on the all-time list, 0.02 seconds behind Tobi Amusan's world record of 12.12 set in 2022. 1 The field behind her was exceptional — Amusan herself ran 12.28 to finish second, Devynne Charlton of the Bahamas set a national record in third with 12.37.

"I've been saying all year that I'm going to break the world record," Russell said after the race. "I don't know when it's going to happen, but I keep getting closer and closer." 1

Jamal Britt (USA) kept his perfect 2026 record intact in the men's 110m hurdles, winning in 13.07 (+0.5 m/s) — equaling his personal best for the fourth time this season — for his fifth win in five hurdles finals this year. 1 2 Cordell Tinch (USA) was fifth in 13.28; Eric Edwards (USA) ninth in 13.43.

Valarie Sion (USA) won the women's discus by more than three meters, throwing 68.45m with three additional attempts above 67m. 3 Ryan Crouser (USA) returned to Diamond League competition for the first time since September 2024, placing third in the men's shot put with 21.41m; Jordan Geist (USA) was second at 21.52m. 2

Other American results worth noting: Caleb Dean ran a personal-best 47.75 for third in the 400m hurdles; 3 Anavia Battle ran 22.29 (season best) for third in the women's 200m, with Sha'Carri Richardson fourth in 22.38 SB; 2 Emily Mackay placed third in the women's 1500m in 3:58.13 SB; 2 and Trayvon Bromell ran 10.03 for third in the men's 100m. 2 In total, 32 US athletes competed across 12 events, with three wins (Russell, Britt, Sion) and five podium finishes. 3

The Diamond League moves to Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, Morocco on Saturday, May 31 for the third meet of the 2026 season. The program includes 16 Diamond events across both sprints and field: women's 100m, 200m, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 800m, 1500m, high jump, pole vault, and discus; men's 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m steeplechase, shot put, and javelin. 4 Entry lists for Rabat have not been published as of May 24 — they are expected around May 28–29 — so confirmed US starts are not yet available.

How to watch: FloTrack and the FloSports app (subscription required) hold US streaming rights. Global streaming is available free on Watch Athletics+ at worldathletics.org/videos. 5 No NBC or Peacock coverage. Press conference in Rabat is scheduled for Friday, May 30 at 10 AM UTC.

After Rabat, the Diamond League continues with Rome (June 4), Stockholm (June 7), and Oslo (June 10). 6

The 2026 ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) World Cup Rifle/Pistol is underway at the Olympic Shooting Range Munich/Hochbrück in Germany, the third rifle and pistol World Cup of the 2026 season after Granada in April. 7 May 24–25 were arrival and training days; medal competition runs May 26–30.

USA Shooting announced a 28-athlete roster for Munich, selected through Spring Selection Matches at Colorado Springs in March — pistol on March 12–16 and rifle on March 20–24. 8 Both selection events debuted new ISSF equipment rules: pistol athletes competed under updated grip restriction regulations; rifle athletes faced first-time rules reducing the allowable stiffness and thickness of shooting suits — changes that Rifle National Team Coach Pete Durban said "place greater emphasis on athlete stability and control" and that the selection process itself was designed to test procedures planned for the next Olympic Team selection. 8

The US roster across eight events includes veterans such as Nick Mowrer and Sagen Maddalena (Olympic medalists) alongside rising athletes. First medal finals on the May 26 schedule are Men's 10m Air Pistol at 14:00 Central European Summer Time (8:00 AM ET) and Men's 10m Air Rifle at 18:30 CEST (12:30 PM ET), with Marcus Klemp, Nick Mowrer, Sergey Kalinichenko, Blaine Simpson, and Nathan Lim in the air pistol field and Braden Peiser, Brandon Muske, and Peter Fiori in air rifle. 9

LA 2028 stakes: ISSF World Cup performances contribute to world ranking points that factor into Olympic quota allocation, with LA 2028 quota spots primarily allocated through ISSF World Championships and Continental Championships. Individual gold medalists at each World Cup earn a berth in the year-end ISSF World Cup Final in Rome (December 3–8, 2026). 10

How to watch: All finals are streamed live and free on the official ISSF YouTube channel at youtube.com/issfchannel. 10 No US-specific television broadcast has been announced.

Roland Garros opened Sunday with 37 Americans in the singles draw, the most at the French Open since 1995. 11 Day 1 produced a 5–5 result: four women's singles wins, one men's, and the day's defining moment belonged to a wildcard ranked 148th in the world.

Nishesh Basavareddy (USA, world ranking No. 148) defeated No. 7 seed Taylor Fritz (USA) 7–6(5), 7–6(5), 7–6 in two hours and 26 minutes on Court Suzanne-Lenglen — all three sets decided by tiebreaks. 12 It was Basavareddy's first Grand Slam main draw win and first career victory over a top-10 player. 13 Fritz, who has played more five-set matches at Grand Slams than any player since 2020, went out after dropping all three tiebreaks.

Hailey Baptiste (USA, No. 26 seed) saved two match points in the second-set tiebreak to defeat 2021 Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova 6–7(7), 7–6(6), 6–2 on Court Suzanne-Lenglen. 14 Trailing 4–6 in the second-set tiebreak, Baptiste won four consecutive points, then dominated the deciding set. 11 It was her first Grand Slam outing as a seeded player; she next faces Wang Xiyu.

Caty McNally (USA) also came from a set and a break down to beat Ajla Tomljanovic 3–6, 7–6(5), 6–3. 15 She faces No. 11 seed Belinda Bencic in Round 2. Peyton Stearns beat compatriot Sofia Kenin 6–3, 6–3, and Katie Volynets needed just 65 minutes to dispatch French wildcard Clara Burel 6–3, 6–1. 15

On the losing side: Reilly Opelka fell 6–3, 4–6, 2–6, 7–6(8), 4–6 to Italian qualifier Federico Cina in 3 hours 21 minutes, and Michael Zheng (qualifier) lost to Dino Prizmic of Croatia 1–6, 1–6, 3–6. Sloane Stephens, competing as a qualifier, lost to Sara Bejlek 3–6, 2–6 in 82 minutes. 13

Day 2 (Monday, May 25) brings the biggest American names onto the clay. Coco Gauff (No. 4 seed, defending champion) opens against compatriot Taylor Townsend in an all-American match. Ben Shelton (No. 5 seed) faces Daniel Merida of Spain on Court Suzanne-Lenglen, and Amanda Anisimova (No. 6 seed) plays Tiantsoa Rakotomanga Rajaonah on the same court. 11 Jessica Pegula (No. 5 seed), Madison Keys (No. 19), Frances Tiafoe (No. 19), Tommy Paul (No. 24), Learner Tien (No. 18), and Brandon Nakashima (No. 31) are among the approximately 20 further Americans yet to play their first-round matches. 12 15 Round 1 continues through Day 3 (Tuesday); Round 2 runs May 27–28.

How to watch: Roland Garros airs on TNT and truTV in the United States, with HBO Max the only platform streaming every match (900-plus in total). Tennis Channel broadcasts the opening match of each day starting at 5 AM ET and carries a nightly recap show. 16 Turner Sports holds the US broadcast rights through this cycle — NBC and Peacock no longer air the French Open. 17

USA Gymnastics has its 2026 Pan American Championships roster finalized for the women's program. The senior team — Charleigh Bullock, Hezly Rivera, Claire Pease, Simone Rose, and Lila Richardson (senior international debut), with Alessia Rosa as traveling alternate — was selected at a May 16 camp in Crossville, Tennessee. 18 Bullock, Rivera, and Pease were members of the 2026 American Cup silver medal squad. The junior team is Amia Pugh-Banks, Addalye VanGrinsven, Sydney Williams, and Vivi Crain, with Paisley Ritger as alternate — Pugh-Banks, VanGrinsven, and Williams were 2026 City of Jesolo Trophy team champions. 18

The championships take place June 17–21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They serve as a qualifying event for the 2026 World Championships, which in turn are a direct pathway to LA 2028: the FIG (Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique) awards Olympic team spots to the top three national Olympic committees at the 2026 Worlds, and the next nine at the 2027 Worlds. 18

Also this week, the 2026 Pan American Championships in trampoline and tumbling is live in Medellín, Colombia (May 22–24), with eight US athletes competing. US trampoline athletes swept the top two positions in both men's and women's individual trampoline on the opening competition day. 19

A separate qualifier finished this weekend: the 2026 Rhythmic Elite Qualifier in Naperville, Illinois concluded with Megan Chu (San Diego) winning the senior all-around with 112.350 points, ahead of Evita Griskenas (110.500) and Sarah Mariotti (109.700). The qualifier serves as the final cutoff for the USA Gymnastics Championships in Tulsa (June 22–27). 20

US Cross Country Ski Team named; Jessie Diggins retirement confirmed. U.S. Ski & Snowboard announced its 2026-27 Stifel US Cross Country Ski Team nominations, with Ben Ogden (2026 Olympic classic sprint silver medalist) and Gus Schumacher (2026 Olympic team sprint silver) heading the A squad. Jessie Diggins, who won bronze at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, has confirmed she will retire at the end of the current season. 21

Andrew Kurka retires. Para alpine skier Andrew Kurka (USA), the 2018 Paralympic downhill gold medalist and 2026 Paralympic Super-G bronze medalist, announced his retirement on May 15. Kurka competed in more than 20 career fractures' worth of crashes and won across three Paralympic cycles. 22

ISU 2026-27 season calendar. The International Skating Union published its full 2026-27 calendar, which includes Figure Skating Grand Prix stops in Everett, Washington, and a Speed Skating World Cup leg in Salt Lake City — both significant viewing opportunities for US skating fans. The Junior Grand Prix opens August 19 in Xi'an; the GP Final is in Chongqing (December 10–13). 23

LA28 water polo qualification finalized. The IOC and World Aquatics have confirmed the men's and women's water polo qualification systems for Los Angeles 2028, giving US Water Polo a defined path to its Olympic berths. 24