Do Not Sleep On These Black Women Who Are World Class Olympians
In the extensive list of disciplines that are under the umbrella of Track and Field, hurdles are mainstream. Athletes not only put their speed to the test they exhibit extreme skill as they leap above literal and metaphorical hurdles. These women are no exception, they are exceptional.
Kendra “Kenni” Harrison
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Kendra Harrison is a first time track and field Olympian competing in the 100m Hurdles. Though Harrison is a new addition to Team USA, it is not for a lack of trying. Harrison was a favorite to make the 2016 Rio Olympic team, yet her performance was underwhelming. Harrison ran 12.91 seconds, her lowest time of the 2015-2016 season.
Failing to make the Olympic team for the 2016 Rio Olympics was a motivating experience for Harrrison.
She went back to the drawing board with a new mindset and focus. She credits her shift mindset as the starting point on her road to redemption. She acknowledges her focus on being top tier as a hindrance in past performance. Harrison now see’s winning as the goal:
“I’m going there every race – the goal is to win. I can’t go out there trying to get Top 3, because you know it could end badly.”
Harrison took time during the pandemic to grow stronger and faster as she trained with former olympic sprinters Jenna Prandini and Teahna Daniels, under coach Edrick Floreal. She hopes to increase her sprint speed and technique. As a hurdler the ability to sprint efficiently before jumping hurdles is an advantage.
USA Track and Field website credits Harrison with breaking a 28 year old Hurdling world record in 2016 — 100m Hurdles – 12.20 at London Grand Prix. Over the course of her career, Harrison has medaled in world championships both for indoor and outdoor hurtling. To date, Harrison has won 7 Gold Medals between 2015 – 2021, including USATF Outdoor Championships 100m Hurdles, NACAC Championships, 100m Hurdles and USATF Indoor Championships, gold (60m Hurdles) just to name a few.
Harrison’s dedication to the sport is long. A native of South Carolina, Harrison was active on the track. She attended the University of Kentucky and participated in both indoor and outdoor track and field events. Harrison is being inducted into the University of Kentucky’s Hall of Fame Class of 2021. She currently works for former University of Kentucky coach Floreal as a volunteer assistant coach for the track and field program. Along with training the younger generation, Harrison continues to train to win the gold in Tokyo and run her best race.
Dalilah Muhammad
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Born in Queens, New York, Dalilah Muhammad became the first American woman to win gold in the 400-meter hurdles, setting the record at 52.16. Muhammad stands in a precarious position as a Muslim woman and top athlete on the world stage. Politics has infiltrated all areas of American life. Most especially in sports, where other greats have been compelled to take a stance and state their opinions on popular social movements like Black Lives Matter and the Trump presidency. Muhammad however does not lean into her beliefs. She is a Muslim woman who does not wear a hijab and does not outwardly displacy her beliefs. Her focus is on the track. Muhammad is described by her coach Lawrence Johnson as “ really sophisticated.” He cites their strategy sessions breaking down the most miniscule information, such as the width of the lanes on a track as a reason she is great. These unorthodox observations is most likely the reason Muhammad has excelled in the sport.
Before becoming an Olympic gold medalist, Muhammad competed in track and field at the University of Southern California, graduating in 2012, with a degree in business administration. Nearly a decade later, Muhammad still appears to be in her prime. This year’s Olympic trial wins come after a 2019 training injury that set Muhammad back but did not take her out. Muhammad ran without any trace of injury and maintained a sizable lead over her opponents as she broke her previous World Record of 52.20 lowering her time by .04 of a second. Sydney McLaughlin came in second with a time of 52.23.
Since receiving, her 2016 gold medal, the Team USA website credits Muhammad with multiple medals in the World Championships. Recently, she took home the gold (400m hurdles, 4x400m relay). Muhammad graduated from the University of Southern California in 2012 and has been an active competitor ever since. Dalilah qualified for the Tokyo Olympics while recovering from a hamstring injury and COVID-19.
