The women’s 400m hurdles finals had athletes on two completely opposite ends of the spectrum of emotions. On one hand you had Femke Bol, reclaiming her 2022 World Championships title, fending off the competition with a world-leading run. After the race, Bol was all smiles with the medal around her neck and the flag of the Netherlands slung around her shoulders. And on the other, you had Dalilah Muhammad, a former world and Olympic champion, who placed seventh and bade an emotional farewell to the sport.

“It was not the way I would have wanted to end it, but I think, you know, we’ve done so much this year. It’s been a good year nonetheless,” said Muhammad after the finals earlier today, in an interview with Citius Mag. It isn’t how any athlete would choose to end their career, but as Muhammad admitted, “Age and injuries make it tougher.”

But the 2x Olympic champion’s year wasn’t all bad. She went sub-53 at the Kingston Slam, clocking in 52.21s, finishing behind Andrenette Knight( 52.09s) and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone (50.32s). Muhammad enjoyed success in the Diamond League too, starting with a win at the Oslo Bislett Games in 53.34 seconds. Another sub-53 ( 52.91s) in the Stockholm Diamond League guaranteed her a second spot behind Femke Bol, who crossed the line in 52.11s. Moncao DL saw a similar fate, as Bol clocked 51.95 and Muhammad recorded 52.58 (season best). In McLaughlin-Levrone’s absence, Muhammad won the USATF Championships in 52.65.

And then it all came to an end in Tokyo, at the very same Japan National Stadium where she won Olympic gold in 2020 in the 4x400m relay. She wasn’t just ready to say goodbye yet. The hurdler said, “It’s really just a goal, like let me get back to a world final and get back to running, you know, at my best, and we definitely accomplished that this year. I wish we can do one more. I think in a week, you know, I’ll probably be fine. But it is what it is.”

She started with a win in the heats at the World Championships with 53.80s, which was followed by a second position in the semifinals, crossing the line in 53.14s. She may not have made it onto the podium in her last hurrah, but in the case of Muhammad, it’s not about how you end, but about how you got there.

Until next time, Dalilah Muhammad

“It feels a bit sad that she’s leaving because she’s such a great athlete and she’s been such a role model for me. It’s great to see her back at such a high level right where she needs to be,” said Femke Bol on September 17th. Before Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, there was Dalilah Muhammad for the USA dominating the 400m hurdles. Sure, McLaughlin-Levrone later came to boss the 400m hurdles, breaking the world record six times, but it was Muhammad who first laid the foundation.

Yuliya Pechonkina set the 400 m hurdles world record of 52.34 seconds on August 8, 2003, in Tula, Russia, and the record stood untouched for 16 years. It was only in 2019 when the 35-year-old broke it at the 2019 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, by running 52.20 seconds. The Olympic champion went on to lower the world record to 52.16 seconds at the 2019 World Championships in Doha, winning the world title that very year. She also claimed two silvers (2013, 2017) and one bronze at the 2022 World Championships.

National Championships? 2013-check. 2016-ruled. 2017-won. 2019-ruled won with a world record; 2025- the farewell she deserved. She brought Olympic glory to the United States when she won the Olympic gold medal back in the 2016 Olympics, clocking 53.13s. The last time she was in Tokyo for the Olympics, a silver came back to the USA in 51.58s, but a gold also followed, as Muhammad was part of the team that won the 4x400m relay in the Tokyo Olympics in 3:16.85. This is truly the end of a glorious career. Happy retirement. Until next time, Dalilah Muhammad.