Latest news with #Dalilah
The Hindu
29-04-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
I want to have a global presence and bring more competitions: Dalilah Muhammad
A disappointing show at the 2012 United States Olympic trials only added fuel to Dalilah Muhammad's desire to become a world-class athlete. From finishing 16th and failing to make it to London, Dalilah fashioned a glorious turnaround to claim the women's 400m hurdles gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Far from done, she added two Olympic medals at Tokyo 2020 (400m hurdles silver, 4x400m relay gold). The 35-year-old American, the International Event Ambassador for the 17th edition of the TCS World 10K Bengaluru, spoke about her glittering career and more. Excerpts: You broke the 400m hurdles world record at the 2019 World championships. Could you talk us through that experience? There was a feeling that something special was about to happen. Whether that was going to be the world record, I did not know. I definitely thought I was capable of running fast. My coach had told me I was capable of breaking the world record. My self belief was cemented when my training partner, Brianna Rollins-McNeal, looked at me and said that she couldn't wait to see me do it. It was already planted in her mind. She believed it so much, and it made me truly believe too. From missing London 2012 to winning gold in Rio 2016, that is quite an extraordinary story. Tell us about your mindset in that four year period. Going into college, I always had the mindset that being a professional athlete was next. I thought it was my God-given right. Up until that point, I had always been good. I was a child star. But by the time 2012 came along, that was not the reality because it came to a point where your talent can only take you so far. I was not putting in the work required to be a professional athlete. I had to change the way I did things, my diet, my mindset, my work ethic…After that 2012 Olympics disaster, I had to fight harder to do more. That first year of training after 2012 was the hardest period. I went to train with Lashinda Demus, who was the top 400m hurdler in America. Training with her and seeing her work ethic really pushed me to a different mindset. You ran your season best time at the Botswana Grand Prix (53.81s) earlier this month, but you have announced that 2025 will be your last season. What brought about the retirement announcement? The plan was to retire at the 2024 Olympic Games. I was hoping that I would make it to Paris, but I missed out. I took the time to prioritise being healthy, free from injuries and the strongest I can be. That is why I pushed the retirement to 2025. The World championships at Tokyo is the last competition on my schedule. People expect you to exit the sport when you can no longer do it at all. I want to go out knowing that I can still push myself. Tell us about your post-retirement plan. Do you want to get into coaching? A sportsperson's next step is to go into coaching. But for me, I want to have a global presence and bringing more competitions to our sport. This will bring more opportunities for athletes, and will open the door for more women athletes. I want to bring races to places where athletics has not been to before. World Athletics has now introduced prize money at the Olympics. This was not well received by other federations, who believe that Olympic pride should not be tainted with prize money. What are your thoughts about this? Why should athletes not be able to make money from the Olympics? I think most athletes do this because we love it. We don't do it for the money. However, we need ways to support ourselves. Being at such a high level, such as the Olympics, athletes should definitely be able to make a living from that. Dalilah Muhammad, our International Event Ambassador, truly felt the incredible energy-and so did we! 🫶😍#TCSW10K# — tcsw10k (@TCSWorld10K) April 28, 2025 The Grand Slam Track is a new, almost revolutionary way of looking at how to conduct athletic events. Do you like the idea of the Grand Slam Track? I absolutely love it. Track and field has come such a long way, but there's still so much further it can go. The idea is to make our sport a professional sport, where every single athlete has a professional contract. The Grand Slam is trying to push for this, and it gives athletes more opportunities to make money and really show who we are and what we are capable of. World Athletics has stated that they will soon introduce a one-time genetic testing for athletes who want to compete in the women's category. Do you support this move? This is such a touchy subject, especially in this current climate of what identifies as woman, what are the parameters for each gender. I have read Caster Semenya's book. Having read how evasive and traumatising some of these procedures can be, I am a bit hesitant about gender testing. Faith Kipyegon will soon attempt to become the first woman to run a sub four-minute mile. Do you think she can do it? I'm just amazed. I'm in awe. I need to be there in person when she attempts it in Paris. It is hard for me to even put into words what that means for women in sports. One of my college coaches was actually the third man to have run a sub-four mile. That was not that long ago, so for a woman to even attempt it is crazy. I'm always excited to see barriers broken by women in sport. The TCS World 10K Bengaluru has always seen a high percentage of participation from women. Tell us about the role of women in sports and athletics. I think sports has come such a long way for women. Even my event, the 400m hurdles, the first women's championship happened only in the 1980s. For me, sports has pushed me to new places, to meet new people. It was truly empowered me through leadership, taught me discipline and all of those great things. There are a lot of run clubs in India, and you have been involved in run clubs at a young age. Tell us about the community aspect of running... It's just so much fun when you're running together as a group. My enjoyable experiences in running is when I'm running for fun and running with people who want to unite and have that common goal to get out there and move their bodies. Running brings people and communities together. I've run since I was seven years old. At the time, I ran with a local track club. Those are my favourite days and memories as a child — walking to practice, because I wanted to be there with my friends.
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Dalilah Muhammad welcomes the advent of Grand Slam Track
The Grand Slam Track, a professional track and field league, intends to boost the profile of the sport. The event, the brainchild of former sprinter Michael Johnson, offers prize money substantially greater than what athletes receive in the Diamond League. TCS 10K Bengaluru International Event Ambassador and two-time Olympic gold medallist Dalilah Muhammad welcomed the advent of the Grand Slam Track, stating that athletes are justified in pursuing financial stability. 'It is really beneficial. Athletes should be compensated for what they do. There are very few athletes who are truly making a living just from running alone, and being able to sustain themselves over time. 'Some athletes can only make money from meets such as the Diamond Leagues. So it is extremely important that events like the Grand Slam Track give athletes more opportunities. We do have the Diamond League, but that is not enough and we need more,' Dalilah said in a media interaction here on Thursday. Dalilah had a breakout year in 2019, when the American broke the 400m women's hurdles World record at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a time of 52.20s. A couple of years later, Dalilah and Sydney McLaughlin went head-to-head in a dramatic showdown at the Tokyo Olympics. Both Dalilah and Sydney went under the World record, but it was the former who claimed gold. Lauds Neeraj's feat At Tokyo, Dalilah witnessed Neeraj Chopra clinch the men's javelin and become the first Indian athlete to win an athletics gold medal. 'That was amazing. I remember watching Neeraj in Tokyo, and that was actually my first experience watching him compete. It was honestly phenomenal, and you got to see what it meant for the country, the community and the people,' Dalilah said.
Deccan Herald
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Deccan Herald
Dalilah wary of gender testing for women athletes
Named the event ambassador for the TCS World 10K run, Dalilah spoke to select media on Thursday about her plans this season, World Athletics intention to introduce gender testing and Americans reclaiming their track and field dominance at the Paris Games.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Boy, 14, charged in 12-year-old girl's death as hundreds attend her memorial Monday night
Ciara Chatman walked out of her Auburn Gresham home Monday night and was met by the glare of candlelight. The candles arranged on the sidewalk spelled out 'DALILAH,' the name of her daughter. She stared at the flickering flames, then crumpled into the arms of a nephew who stood at her side. 'The one time I let my baby outside, she didn't come back,' Chatman, 35, said as she sat in the middle of the candles, rocking back and forth, gazing at posters of her daughter. It had been less than a day since Chatman's daughter, 12-year-old Dalilah Batey, had been fatally shot in a condemned building in Calumet Heights on the far South Side. She was found shot in a home in the 9200 block of South Harper Avenue about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, police said. She would have celebrated her 13th birthday in two weeks. An autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled her death a homicide. On Tuesday morning, Chicago police said a 14-year-old boy was charged with involuntary manslaughter in Dalilah's death. Outside of Chatman's home Monday night, a steady stream of neighbors, friends and relatives arrived holding blue and silver balloons. Eventually more than 100 people spilled out into the street, standing in near-silence. Dalilah's aunt Jasmine Batey was still in shock. 'It's just unbelievable,' she said. 'How does a 12-year-old get shot in the face?' Dalilah had visited her father and Batey, 33, in Kankakee just last week, she said. Batey's eight-year-old son and Dalilah spent quite a bit of time together on those visits, she said, and particularly enjoyed playing Roblox and other games. Dalilah was a 'firecracker,' Batey continued — 'even when she used to get in trouble with us… she'd come into a room smiling and laughing.' Dalilah also loved music and dancing, and would teach Batey's son her moves. 'She showed him how to pop,' she said. 'He would start doing good dance and I (was) like, 'where are you getting this from?'' At Monday's memorial, one woman whose daughters had danced with her pulled out a cell phone video of Dalilah wearing a red uniform jersey, shorts and white sneakers grooving in a trio of girls at a street performance. She'd danced in at least two different troupes, friends and family said. Batey said her son had been sitting at their kitchen table Monday, trying to text Dalilah from his iPad. 'It made me start crying, because he was like, 'she's not answering,'' she said. 'And I (was) like, 'she's gone, baby.'' Dalilah was shot around 8:30 p.m. Sunday in a house located at 9214 South Harper Avenue that had been vacant since 2007, according to city building records. Records show that the house's owner has been cited 11 times since 2022 over failures to post the owner's name and contact information, maintain the structure and keep a watch on the premises overnight, among other failures. On Monday, the house was partially boarded up, with bullet holes visible in the front window. Chicago Tribune's Deanese Williams-Harris and Sam Charles contributed.
Chicago Tribune
11-02-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Boy, 14, charged in 12-year-old girl's death as hundreds attend her memorial Monday night
Ciara Chatman walked out of her Auburn Gresham home Monday night and was met by the glare of candlelight. The candles arranged on the sidewalk spelled out 'DALILAH,' the name of her daughter. She stared at the flickering flames, then crumpled into the arms of a nephew who stood at her side. 'The one time I let my baby outside, she didn't come back,' Chatman, 35, said as she sat in the middle of the candles, rocking back and forth, gazing at posters of her daughter. It had been less than a day since Chatman's daughter, 12-year-old Dalilah Batey, had been fatally shot in a condemned building in Calumet Heights on the far South Side. She was found shot in a home in the 9200 block of South Harper Avenue about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, police said. She would have celebrated her 13th birthday in two weeks. An autopsy by the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled her death a homicide. On Tuesday morning, Chicago police said a 14-year-old boy was charged with involuntary manslaughter in Dalilah's death. Outside of Chatman's home Monday night, a steady stream of neighbors, friends and relatives arrived holding blue and silver balloons. Eventually more than 100 people spilled out into the street, standing in near-silence. Dalilah's aunt Jasmine Batey was still in shock. 'It's just unbelievable,' she said. 'How does a 12-year-old get shot in the face?' Dalilah had visited her father and Batey, 33, in Kankakee just last week, she said. Batey's eight-year-old son and Dalilah spent quite a bit of time together on those visits, she said, and particularly enjoyed playing Roblox and other games. Dalilah was a 'firecracker,' Batey continued — 'even when she used to get in trouble with us… she'd come into a room smiling and laughing.' Dalilah also loved music and dancing, and would teach Batey's son her moves. 'She showed him how to pop,' she said. 'He would start doing good dance and I (was) like, 'where are you getting this from?'' At Monday's memorial, one woman whose daughters had danced with her pulled out a cell phone video of Dalilah wearing a red uniform jersey, shorts and white sneakers grooving in a trio of girls at a street performance. She'd danced in at least two different troupes, friends and family said. Batey said her son had been sitting at their kitchen table Monday, trying to text Dalilah from his iPad. 'It made me start crying, because he was like, 'she's not answering,'' she said. 'And I (was) like, 'she's gone, baby.'' Dalilah was shot around 8:30 p.m. Sunday in a house located at 9214 South Harper Avenue that had been vacant since 2007, according to city building records. Records show that the house's owner has been cited 11 times since 2022 over failures to post the owner's name and contact information, maintain the structure and keep a watch on the premises overnight, among other failures. On Monday, the house was partially boarded up, with bullet holes visible in the front window.
