“As soon as I did it, I was like, ‘You gotta be s—-ing me.’ Like, right now, really right now, we’re gonna do this?” Simone Biles recalled in the first episode of the documentary, Simone Biles Rising, remembering how she got lost in the air during her warmup vault at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. On the Call Her Daddy podcast, Biles further elaborated on the mind-body disconnect she faced, describing it as “fighting [her] body and [her mind]“. Biles is perhaps the best voice against twisties, but she is not the only victim and is not restricted to gymnastics. The woman has even inspired a track and field legend going through the same.

“Oh man, there were a lot. There was definitely a lot growing up. I remember, it’s so funny because a story that really hit with me recently was the Simone Biles, when she had the twisties, she talked about it,” this is what Dalilah Muhammad had to say when she was asked of any hurdles to her Olympics dreams in a recent talk with Paddy Steinfort. The twisties happen when a gymnast is in midair and loses their sense of where they are and how they’ll land, making the move risky. Biles described it as being “lost in the air” and was the reason she skipped the Tokyo Olympics.

The 2016 Olympic Gold medalist in 400 Metres Hurdles said that, “I had that once. And I think in track and field, we don’t call it that. But I remember at a very young age, I used to do the high jump.”  During her high school years at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School in Queens, New York, she was a versatile track and field athlete who competed in multiple events, including the high jump. She still holds the school record in the high jump.

She continued, “I was actually a better high jumper growing up, but there came to a point where I can no longer jump over the bar. I remember I would run up to the bar and it was like a fear.” She didn’t realize what it was and credited it to the bars getting higher as she grew, because there are different heights for juniors and seniors. She continued, “So I think having that behind your mind, it’s like at some point you have to fail in this event. And it didn’t sit comfortable with me. So it got to a point where I no longer would jump.”

She recalls running up to the bar and then just running around it. She was only 14 at that time, and this was her first mental breakdown. “When that thing happened with Simone, it kind of reminded me of that situation, and it put things into perspective for me like, wow, is that what was happening to me at such a young age?” But how did she get hold of it? Her coach gave her a couple of months and changed her approach. Now, instead of jumping from the left side, she jumped from the right one, and just like that, Dalilah Muhammad, the long jumper, was back. But problems didn’t end for her there.

Problems prevailed for Delilah Muhmaad

2021 was quite the year for the track and field legend. In May 2021, Dalilah Muhammad suffered a right quadriceps injury that disrupted her training and competition schedule. In around March, the woman got the news of COVID-19. Both of these combined were a lot of mental stress for her. But she had her way. “No matter what happens to you, the body can heal from it,” she said. “I’ve just been taking it day by day, mentally doing what I can do and letting the body take the time it needs.”

Those were not enough. In February 2021, Muhammad was diagnosed with optic neuritis, an inflammatory condition affecting the optic nerve, leading to temporary vision loss in her left eye. This diagnosis required her to take time off the track for treatment and recovery. Despite the setbacks, she participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, from June 18 to 27, 2021. During the trials, Muhammad ran a season-best time of 52.42 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles, securing her spot on the U.S. Olympic team. 

On August 4, 2021, Muhammad competed in the 400-meter hurdles final at the Tokyo Olympics. She finished with a time of 51.58 seconds, breaking her own world record and earning a silver medal. Her performance was overshadowed by teammate Sydney McLaughlin’s gold medal and world record-making run (51.46), but Muhammad’s achievement was nonetheless historic.