NCAC Championships gold medalist and Sha’Carri Richardson’s national teammate, Alaysha Johnson has strong claims to be on the national team for the upcoming Olympics. However, her recent days haven’t been the best, and fans can’t hold back their frustration seeing the athlete having to walk through muck, not once but twice!

A recent post by Track Spice highlighted the ongoing tug-of-war between Alaysha and the Racer’s Grand Prix. The June 1 event is scheduled to be hosted by Jamaica, and naturally, the 27-year-old hurdle specialist was expecting a chance to test the waters ahead of the big showdown in Paris in August (track events start in August while the Games kick off in late July).

Only days ago, the track community was shocked to learn that Johnson has been without a sponsor for quite some time, and the latest commotion about the Racer’s Grand Prix deliberately keeping her on the waitlist has added more fuel to the fire. World Athletics Hub unveiled the roster on X on May 22, and representing the USA is a far less experienced 25-year-old Talie Bonds. Bonds’s Women’s Overall Ranking is 532 against a far better 84 where Johnson currently stands and is behind 138 points from the latter in overall score.

Johnson retweeted saying, “Ima go to sleep crying tonight.” But that was not all.

Alaysha has cited her lack of sponsorship situation as a reason for discriminating her from the list to have motivated the governing body. She wrote on X, “I’m tired of being personally attacked over NOTHING!! I haven’t done anything to anyone. Stop using my situation as an excuse for blatant disrespect!!! @ the entire sport of track and field.”

Shortly after her outing at the Prefontaine Classic, she appeared in an interview where she vowed she wouldn’t step foot in Jamaica unless it is a major event like the Olympics. Without beating around the bush, Johnson quoted the words of the Hollywood designer Law Roach, “A no now is a no forever.” Here is what she had to say,

“Actually, you won’t see me in Jamaica ever competing unless it’s a major championship or it’s an Olympic or World Championship or something of that sort.

“Honestly, a no now is a no forever. Like I deserve to be in the race, I deserved to be in the race last year, and after my little temper tantrum I guess on Twitter, I actually was offered a spot in Jamaica and then I ended turning it down because at this point in my career, I fought for a lot of things over and over again and I deserve what I deserve and it is what it is.”

Battling the difficulties of not having a sponsor, this athlete had won the 2023 USATF Indoor 60m hurdles title. Her brave stand had earned her a word of praise from Sha’Carri Richardson back then who said, “Had the courage to step against the normal.” But it seems that Alaysha Johnson’s stints with misfortunes are never-ending. Her recent feud with the Racer’s Grand Prix in Jamaica added one more page to that.

On May 21, Alaysha revealed that she had been waitlisted by the Jamaican event organizers, which was later attempted to be overturned after she took to social media to vent her frustration. However, it seems like Alaysha isn’t one to be taking any handouts and she rejected the proposal to compete in the Racer’s Grand Prix when approached by the tournament’s hosts. “It’s important to stand your ground, it’s also important to speak up for yourself,” reiterated the track star. And it wasn’t long before the fans turned up with their opinions.

Fans in agreement with Johnson’s feelings

Alaysha was the runner-up at the LA Grand Prix that was held earlier this month. She is also a Pan-American Games bronze medallist in her national colors. Despite that, the treatment she received from the organizers, is unfortunate. According to the general consensus, it seems like more fans than not are on board with how Alaysha handled the situation.

Reminding others that her personal best in the 100m hurdles (12.35) is much better than any of the stars on the start list for the June 1 event, one fan commented “She’s 100%, spot on, right.” While recent controversies regarding financial disputes between track stars and governing bodies of the sport have rocked the community, there isn’t any evidence that something similar transpired in this case. This recalls the incident from last year when Johnson had to face one more heartbreak in her homeland, the USA.

On that occasion, just after securing the win at the USATF indoor hurdles, Johnson missed out on the national squad for the Texas Relays 2023. A frustrated Johnson wrote on social media that despite dedicating her life to the sport, she has been “ostracized” from it. During that time, standing by the athlete, Sha’Carri Richardson had hailed her writing that the former dared to step against the normal.

With one more debacle, where she has been left out, a fan felt upset that Alaysha actually turned down the invitation, but they stood firm in her corner and were convinced that she shouldn’t cede ground so easily. “I love Alaysha stand on business boo I’m not mad,” commented the track loyalist. 

Johnson has always been on the wrong side of things when it came to her pro career. It started in 2020 when she decided to go pro without any sponsor. In 2022, she referred to this, “I honestly think we lose a lot of very, very, very talented track & field athletes because of the way our sponsorships work.”

With the Olympics coming up, many believe that athletes should be offered every chance to prove their worth ahead of the rumble on the grandest stage. By creating this tense situation for Alaysha, they seemed more heartbroken than angry, and one fan believes she shouldn’t be compromising her self-worth at any cost. “My G knows her worth, don’t play w her,” wrote geetee as they shared the original post.

“Wish more athletes responded in this manner when it comes to disrespect” is what a fan thinks about how to deal with the hurtful situation in the track fraternity. Notably, over the years, many track and field icons have spoken out against the discriminations that plague the sport. That list prominently features Sha’Carri Richarson and Noah Lyles. Johnson has also been vocal about the sponsorship struggles of the athletes. But at some points, she has also felt like scapegoat.

“I think of myself as a sacrificial lamb because I have to speak up for everybody; there are a lot of athletes who are putting up the numbers and making the teams and are in the same position as I am,” she had told once referring to the situation.

Facing discrimination for such a long time fans could relate to Alaysha’s mindset at the moment and think her actions are justified given how the Racer’s Grand Prix initially reacted to her wishes. “I can see where she is coming from with this,” reads their comment.

Do you believe Johnson should have done anything different under the circumstances? Weigh in on the matter with your opinion in the comments.