Dalilah Muhammad
 Dalilah Muhammad at Rio 2016 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
February 7, 1990 New York, New York |
| Alma mater | University of Southern California |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Weight | 55 kg (121 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |
 United States |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event(s) | 400m hurdles |
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Dalilah Muhammad (born February 7, 1990) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 400-meter hurdles. She has a personal record of 52.88 seconds for the event and was the 2013 and 2016 American national champion.[1] At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won gold in the 400 metres hurdles.[2]
She is a 400 m hurdles gold medalist at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics in 57.25 and silver medalist at the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in 58.42. Collegiality, she ran for the USC Trojans where she was a four-time All-American at the NCAA Outdoor Championship.
Career
Early life and college
Born in Jamaica, Queens, in New York City, to parents Nadirah and Askia Muhammad, a Muslim family,[3] Dalilah Muhammad competed in various track and field events at high school, including the hurdles, sprints and high jump. While at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School, she won 2008 New York State and Nike Outdoor Nationals titles in the 400 m hurdles.[4] During that period she also gained her first international experience. At the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics she took the 400 m hurdles gold medal.[5] Dalilah Muhammad earned 2007 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year for New York State.[6]
In 2008 she enrolled at the University of Southern California on a sports scholarship, majoring in business. Joining the USC Trojans track team she competed extensively in her first season. At the Pacific-10 Conference meet she was runner-up in the 400 m hurdles, fourth in the 4×400-meter relay, and also set a personal record of 13.79 seconds as a finalist in the 100-meter hurdles.[7] The NCAA Outdoor Championship saw her set a 400 m hurdles best of 56.49 seconds and reach third place in the final. She won the national junior title that year and was the silver medallist at the 2009 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships.[8] In her second year at USC she was a runner-up at the Pac-10 championships, but narrowly missed out on the NCAA final. The 2011 outdoor season saw her repeat her Pac-10 second place and a personal record of 56.04 seconds in the NCAA semi-finals led to a sixth-place finish in the 400 m hurdles final.[4]
In 2012 she set personal records in the sprint hurdles events, running 8.23 seconds for the 60-meter hurdles and 13.33 seconds for the 100 m hurdles. She ranked fifth in the latter event at the Pac-12 meet, where she placed third in the 400 m hurdles. She was again an NCAA finalist in her speciality, coming fifth, and she also participated in the heats at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials.[7] She ended her career as a USC Trojan athlete as the school's third fastest ever 400 m hurdler and a four-time NCAA All-American.[4]
Professional
After graduating from college, Muhammad chose to compete professionally in the 400 m hurdles. She began to revise her personal record early on in the 2013 season with bests of 55.97 then 54.94 seconds in California. On her IAAF Diamond League debut she placed fourth at the Shanghai Golden Grand Prix with a time of 54.74 seconds. She knocked another eight hundredths off to win at the Memorial Primo Nebiolo in Italy, then placed in the top three at the Bislett Games in Norway with a run of 54.33 seconds.
At the 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships she improved her personal record by half a second with a run of 53.83 in the final to win her first national title in the 400 m hurdles.[9] Muhammad represents Nike since 2013.[10]
At the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Muhammad earned a spot in the 400 m hurdles but did not start.[11]
At the 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Muhammad placed 7th in 57.31.[12]
In July, Muhammad won the 400 meters hurdles in 52.88 at 2016 United States Olympic Trials (track and field).
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, she won gold in the 400 metres hurdles.
USA National Championships
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing the United States | ||||||
| 2007 | 2007 USA Youth Outdoor Track & Field Championships | Benedictine University | 2nd | 400 m | 55.84 | |
| 2009 | USA Junior Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 57.32[13] | |
| 2012 | US Olympic Trials | Eugene, Oregon | 20th | 400 m hurdles | 58.46[14] | |
| 2013 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Des Moines, Iowa | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 53.83[15] | |
| 2015 | USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships | Eugene, Oregon | 11th | 400 m hurdles | 57.33[12] | |
| 2016 | Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 1st | 400 m hurdles | 53.13 | |
Personal bests
- 60-meter hurdles – 8.23 sec (2012)
- 100-meter hurdles – 13.33 sec (2012)
- 400-meter hurdles – 52.88 sec (2016)
- 100-meter dash – 11.42 sec (2013)
- 200-meter dash – 23.62 sec (2009)
- 400-meter dash – 52.75 sec (2013)
See also
References
- ↑ Dalilah Muhammad diamond league profile. Retrieved on July 22, 2016
- ↑ http://en.omriyadat.com/american-athletics/dalilah-muhammad-olympics
- ↑ http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/sports/2016/08/12/queens-community-gets-ready-to-cheer-on-local-track-and-field-star-in-olympics.html
- 1 2 3 Dalilah Muhammad. USC Trojans. Retrieved on 2013-07-28.
- ↑ Girls 400m Hurdles Final. IAAF (2007-07-13). Retrieved on 2013-07-28.
- ↑ 2007 New York Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year. Retrieved on July 22, 2016.
- 1 2 Dalilah Muhammad. Tilastopaja. Retrieved on 2013-07-28.
- ↑ Pan American Junior Championships 2009. World Junior Athletics History. Retrieved on 2013-07-28.
- ↑ Upsets and Breakthroughs on Final Day of USA Outdoor Championships. USATF (2013-06-23). Retrieved on 2013-07-28.
- ↑ 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships results. Retrieved on July 22, 2016
- ↑ 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships results. Retrieved on July 22, 2016
- 1 2 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships results. Retrieved on July 22, 2016
- ↑ 2009 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Retrieved on July 22, 2016
- ↑ US Olympic Trials Women's 400 m prelims. Retrieved on July 22, 2016
- ↑ 2013 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships results. Retrieved on July 22, 2016
External links
- Dalilah Muhammad profile at IAAF
