“Dalilah, you really did change everything for us.” Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s voice carried a tremble genuine and full of admiration. “Watching you smash that world record after it stood for so long lit a fire in all of us.” She said those words not for the cameras, but from the heart one champion speaking to another just before stepping on stage at the Jamaican chapter of Grand Slam Track. Sydney wasn’t aiming for headlines. It was respect in its purest form.
Dalilah Muhammad had once again proven why she’s the queen of comebacks. Stats may say she hasn’t beaten Sydney since the 2019 U.S. Championships, and her 6-8 head-to-head record reflects that. But what Sydney sees in Dalilah goes far beyond numbers. And if anyone understands that, it’s her.
They’ve been rivals, yes, but more importantly, they’ve been mirrors reflecting greatness back at one another. “It’s two athletes pushing each other to reach their limits,” Sydney once said. “She wouldn’t have 52.16 without me, and I wouldn’t have 52.2 without her.” A few losses don’t define their legacies. And now, at 35, Dalilah is proving that even louder don’t ever count her out.
What sets Dalilah apart isn’t just the medals or even her iconic world record in Doha. It’s the fire inside her. That drive. That refusal to fade, even after 12 intense years in the sport. On April 12 at the 2025 Botswana Golden Grand Prix, she ran like it was her debut, not the tail end of her career. Crossing the line in 53.81 seconds, she logged the fifth-fastest April time in women’s 400m hurdles history. But she didn’t just beat hurdles she beat time, doubt, and the rising generation of stars like Cassandra Tate and Zene Geldenhuys, who trailed her in Gaborone.
That day, Dalilah showed that greatness doesn’t always shout. Sometimes, it whispers, shows up quietly but fiercely, again and again. And if this is her final lap around the sun, she’s leaving on her own terms head high, spikes on, still in the fight.
Still, the road this month wasn’t without its challenges. At the Grand Slam Track opener in Jamaica her season debut Dalilah took on not just the hurdles but the flat 400m as well. It was bold, defiant a seasoned warrior testing herself and the clock. But waiting in both events? Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Her friendly rival. The generational force who has since taken up the mantle Dalilah once held.
Dalilah held her own. She finished second in the 400m hurdles in 54.69 and took third in the flat 400m with 52.21. The execution, the determination they were all there. But the spotlight belonged to someone else this time. And with it, the top-tier prize money slipped from her grasp.
Still, that might not matter to Dalilah. Because for her, the journey was never about chasing checks. It’s about passion. About pushing boundaries, enduring pain, and showing up when most have stepped away. It’s about love for the sport, the grind, the challenge. And it’s about pride. Because even now, Dalilah Muhammad can toe the line with the best in the world and make them fight for it.
Let’s see what the rest of this season holds.
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