Dalilah Muhammad
Dalilah Muhammad is an accomplished American track and field athlete, known for her exceptional performance in the 400-meter hurdles. Born on February 7, 1990, in Queens, New York, she was raised in a Muslim family that placed significant emphasis on community and public service. Muhammad's athletic journey began at a young age when she was encouraged to join a track club, which led to an early passion for the sport. She excelled in high school, earning national titles and recognition, including being named New York State's 2007 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year.
Muhammad attended the University of Southern California on a track scholarship, where she continued to shine in her sport, becoming a four-time All-American. Throughout her career, she has achieved remarkable success, including winning a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and setting a world record of 52.16 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2019 World Championships. Beyond her athletic achievements, Muhammad is a vocal advocate for Muslim rights and human dignity, participating in campaigns to raise awareness of social issues. Her legacy includes inspiring young athletes and breaking barriers in athletics as only the second woman to hold both the Olympic and World titles in her event.
On this Page
Dalilah Muhammad
- Born: February 7, 1990
- Place of Birth: Queens, New York City, New York
Background
Dalilah Muhammad was born on February 7, 1990, in Queens, New York. Her family consisted of her parents, Askia and Nadirah Muhammad; a brother, Hassan; and a sister, Jamillah. She was brought up Muslim and the mosque was an important element of her family life. Both of her parents worked in public service—her mother as a child protective specialist and her father as an administrative chaplain of Islamic affairs for the Department of Corrections.
When Muhammad was four years old, representatives from the New York Novas Track Club in Brooklyn saw her performing long jumps and encouraged her to join the team. By age seven, she was a member and active with the club. At first, her mother feared she would get hurt if she competed in the hurdles and did not want her to do so. Her coaches encouraged her to continue to practice, and she excelled. In her youth, Muhammad also participated in multiple other sports and activities, including basketball, tennis, dance, and swimming, but track and field was her favorite.
Muhammad attended Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in New York City, where she competed in high jump, hurdles, sprints, and other events. She won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Athletics in the Czech Republic. She was named New York State’s 2007 Gatorade Female Athlete of the Year. Muhammad also won the 2008 New York State and Nike Outdoor Nationals titles in the 400-meter hurdles.
After she completed high school in 2008, several universities, including Texas A&M, Oregon, Florida State, South Carolina, and the University of Southern California (USC), pursued her. Muhammad selected USC and attended on a track scholarship. She graduated with a degree in business administration in 2012.
Life’s Work
During Muhammad's time at USC, she was a four-time All-American at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Outdoor Championships. She placed second in the 400-meter hurdles at the 2009 Pan American Junior Championships.
After graduation, Muhammad competed in the 2012 Olympic Trials but fell short. In 2013, she competed at the World Championships, earning a silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles. She repeated this feat in 2017. Corporate sponsors took notice, and she signed an endorsement deal with Nike. She won her first national title at the 2013 USA Outdoor Championships and accomplished a new personal best of 53.83 seconds, earning a spot on the US national team.
Muhammad competed in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016. She won the gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles, finishing in 53.14 seconds. When she returned to the United States, she was honored with a parade in southeast Queens. In a speech to the crowd, Muhammad said she had heard many children say they wanted to be like her. However, she urged them to try to be ten times better than her. She won the gold, she explained, by having big dreams and setting bigger goals for herself.
She went on to compete at the World Championships in London, England, in 2017, where she won the silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles. That same year, she won her first Diamond League Championship. An elite invitational event, she won the Diamond League Championship in 2018 as well. In 2019, she won the 400-meter hurdles again at the World Championships in Doha, Qatar, setting a new world record with a time of 52.16 seconds. At the same event, she was a member of the gold medal-winning 4×400-meter relay team.
Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games were held in 2021. There, Muhammad competed against Sydney McLaughlin, her teammate and rival in 400-meter hurdles. She won the silver medal with a personal best of 51.58. McLaughlin set a new world record to take the gold. Muhammad also took home a gold medal as a member of the 4×400-meter relay team.
In 2022, Muhammad missed the USA Track and Field Outdoor Championships due to a hamstring injury. After recovering, she returned to training and competition. A headliner at the 2022 World Championships, she finished third in the 400-meter hurdles. At the 2023 World Championships in Hungary, Muhammad finished ninth. The following year, she finished sixth in the US Olympic trials in the 400-meter hurdles and did not compete in Paris at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Impact
Muhammad is the second woman in history to have won both the Olympic and World titles, and to have broken the world record in the 400-meter hurdles. Her personal best of 51.58 seconds, accomplished in August 2021 at the Olympic Games, made her the second-fastest woman of all time in this event.
In addition to her track career, Muhammad is vocal about Muslim rights in the United States. She participated in Nike’s 2017 “Equality” campaign, calling attention to President Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration that limited migration from majority Muslim nations. She also called for other athletes to speak up about other human rights causes. The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization hailed her as a champion of human rights.
Bibliography
“Dalilah Muhammad.” Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, 2024, rfkhumanrights.org/dalilah-muhammad. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
“Dalilah Muhammad.” TEAM USA, 2024, www.teamusa.com/profiles/dalilah-muhammad-914574. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
"Dalilah Muhammad." USA Track and Field, 2024, www.usatf.org/athlete-bios/dalilah-muhammad. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
“Dalilah Muhammad.” USC Trojans, University of Southern California Athletics, 2024, usctrojans.com/sports/track-and-field/roster/dalilah-muhammad/4118. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
"Dalilah Muhammad." World Athletics, worldathletics.org/athletes/united-states/dalilah-muhammad-14317560. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
“Dalilah Muhammad Among Olympic Gold Medalists to Miss USATF Outdoor Champs.” NBC Sports, 22 June 2022, olympics.nbcsports.com/2022/06/22/dalilah-muhammad-track-and-field-championships/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Goertzen, Brenley. “With Growth Mindset, Dalilah Muhammad Keeps Striving for Greatness.” Just Women’s Sports, 30 June 2022, justwomenssports.com/reads/dalilah-muhammad-400m-hurdles-olympics-world-championships/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Lee, Mike. “Gold Medal Parents.” AFSCME, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, 13 Oct. 2016, www.afscme.org/blog/gold-medal-parents. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Mitchell, Miranda. “Dalilah Muhammad Headlines Drake Relays 400m Hurdles Lineup.” World-Track, World-Track and Field, 13 Apr. 2023, world-track.org/2023/04/dalilah-muhammad-headlines-drake-relays-400m-hurdles-lineup/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
"These 10 Team USA Stars Will Not Be at the 2024 Olympics." NBC Chicago, 17 July 2024, www.nbcchicago.com/paris-2024-summer-olympics/team-usa-top-athletes-not-at-2024-olympics/3492737/. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.