“This will be my last competition…,” Dalilah Muhammad said before running at the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship, confirming the curtain call on her legendary career. The 2x U.S. Olympic champion had already tried to say goodbye in 2025  before the World Championships in Tokyo, but things did not go as planned, as she finished seventh in the final. A year later, Muhammad returned for one more season and finally raced her last 400m hurdles, officially bringing her remarkable track and field career to an end.

Muhammad’s final farewell began with the semifinals on September 12. She clocked 53.79 seconds in the women’s 400m hurdles to advance to the final as the sixth-fastest qualifier. One day later, she returned to the track knowing that there would be no next race waiting for her. In the final on September 13, Muhammad produced her fastest performance of the 2026 season.

She crossed the line in 53.11 seconds to finish fourth, just 0.02 seconds behind fellow American Anna Cockrell, who claimed third in 53.09. Jasmine Jones won the race in 52.45, while Emma Zapletalová finished second in 52.68. Although Muhammad narrowly missed the podium, she ended her career with a season’s best and one final performance at the highest level.

Shortly after the race, she shared a picture from the day on Instagram with a caption: “Final lap. #ultimatechampionships.” The post quickly drew emotional reactions from some of the biggest names in track and field. Masai Russell responded with “🥹❤️💐,” while Olympic legend Allyson Felix left three heart emojis. 

After the race, Muhammad was also asked to share her thoughts on the proudest moment of her career. And without wasting time, she pointed to the 2019 World Championships in Doha, where she broke her own world record in the 400m hurdles by clocking 52.16 seconds to win the world title. She recalled, “I think nothing’s ever going to beat that world record… I think years from now I’ll still look back in that moment and just remember what an amazing feeling that was, just standing on top of that podium.”

But this farewell had been a long time coming. Muhammad had initially planned to retire after the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo. She entered those championships after winning the U.S. 400m hurdles title in 52.65 seconds, but her final race did not provide the ending she wanted. She finished seventh in the World Championship final.

Muhammad had spoken about retirement as a mental decision rather than something that had to wait until an athlete could no longer compete at a high level. After Tokyo, however, she decided to return for another season. The 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championship gave Muhammad another reason to come back. She wanted to be part of the inaugural event and experience a new championship as track and field continued to expand. But before arriving in Budapest, she made it clear that she was not planning another comeback after this one.

“I know I’ve said it before, but this is it,” Muhammad said, reaffirming that the Ultimate Championship would be her final competition. And this time, she kept her word. Muhammad leaves the sport with a career that few 400m hurdlers can match.

Dalilah Muhammad’s rise to 400m hurdles greatness

Muhammad’s rise in the 400m hurdles began early. As a teenager, she won the 400m hurdles at the 2007 World Youth Championships in Ostrava, giving her first international title. She later continued that progress at the University of Southern California, where she became a four-time NCAA Outdoor All-American before making her senior breakthrough.

By 2013, Muhammad had become America’s top hurdler, having captured her first U.S. title and the silver medal at the World Championships in Moscow with a 54.09-second run. Another one of her biggest wins came at the Rio Olympics in 2016. She finished in 53.13 seconds, becoming the first American woman to win Olympic gold in the event. 

Muhammad again dazzled at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. She finished 51.58 seconds off Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s gold with a personal best time in the women’s 400m hurdles, the third-fastest in history. Muhammad also took home Olympic gold as a member of the U.S. 4x400m relay team, bringing her Olympic tally to two gold and one silver medal.

The later years brought their share of setbacks, including injuries and missed opportunities. Muhammad finished third at the 2022 World Championships, then missed the 2024 Paris Olympics after placing sixth at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Still, she refused to let those setbacks define the final part of her career. In 2025, she won her fifth U.S. 400m hurdles title. This year, she finally retired. More than the medals, Muhammad leaves behind a mark on the event itself.