Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad gave everything on the track at the Grand Slam Track debut in Kingston, Jamaica, but the return didn’t unfold the way she had envisioned.
Lining up in the 400m flat, far from her beloved hurdles, Muhammad pushed hard but finished second behind longtime rival Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, clocking a swift 50.61.
That time would be a major feat for most athletes, but for Dalilah Muhammad, it was bittersweet.
“I was actually hoping to run something like a low 54. If I had gotten a better lane draw, I think being more in the mix would’ve helped me hit that mark” she told CITIUS MAG after the race.
“I didn’t even know the lane draw until today, so it is what it is.”
However, her performance is impressive, considering the physical and mental comeback she’s been navigating after a difficult 2024.
“Last year was just really a healing year for me. I had to heal my body. I feel healthy and am just getting back into form.”
Muhammad has been training over longer distances indoors, a strategy that appears to be paying off. But even so, the 400m flat just doesn’t hold the same fire for her.
“Everyone knows it’s not my favorite,” she admitted.
“I just love the hurdles, so when they’re not on the track, I feel a little lost.”
That love for the hurdles, and the feeling of being slightly out of her element, didn’t stop her from staying focused during the race.
“I just really try to focus on my lane and do what I’ve been training,” she said.
Despite the second-place finish, Muhammad sees something special in Grand Slam Track’s innovative format.
“It felt like the new age of track and field,” she said.
The Grand Slam Track series is aiming to reimagine athletics. With a structure that allows athletes to compete multiple times per meet across a variety of events and earn points throughout a season, it’s a major departure from the usual one-and-done competition model. For someone like Muhammad, it means more chances to race, evolve, and stay visible.
In Kingston, she ran the 400m flat and is eyeing her signature hurdles event later in the weekend. With 96 contracted athletes in the mix and a whopping $12 million prize pool for 2025, Grand Slam Track is putting serious resources behind the sport, and athletes are starting to feel the difference.
“It’s a fresh energy. It’s different. And I’m excited to be a part of it,” Muhammad acknowledged
