The Olympics may be over, but many of us are still basking in the ambiance of what turned out to be a fabulous show put on by the people of Brazil.  There were a lot of great performances that earned LOTS of recognition.  The Final Five of the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team; Katie Ledecky and Michael Phelps on the swim team; Simone Manuel who became the first Black woman to ever win an individual Olympic swimming gold medal.

And of course there’s “Mr. Olympics” himself, Usain Bolt, whose accomplishments are almost too many to name.  Allyson Felix, who became the most decorated woman in Olympic track and field ever.  But with all of this, there was one who flew completely under the radar and is almost forgotten.

Dalilah Muhammad.  She was a star at USC where she was a 4-time All-American.  She burst onto the scene as a tremendous talent in the women’s 400m hurdles.  Since graduating from USC she has struggled.  Injuries and waning confidence had her questioning her talent.

Last year she was hampered by a quad injury that kind of derailed her training and prevented her from going at it full speed.  Entering this season she was still hesitant and worried about the quad injury and in the back of her mind she wasn’t sure if it would rear its ugly head again.

At the Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR, all of those worries were put to bed.  Over the multi-day event Muhammad put up some of the best times in the world, including a personal best for her in the final.  Heading to Rio she was the clear favorite, winning the majority of her races this year by a WIDE margin.

In the Olympic final, Muhammad did not disappoint, jumping out to an early lead, making up the stagger on much of the field before getting to the first hurdle.  As they turned for home, it was obvious who the winner was going to be.

But check this out.  This is the first gold medal for the U.S. in this event in history!  Think about that.  The U.S. has some of the greatest athletes in the HISTORY of track and field, and yet they have NEVER won this event.  Where was the fanfare regarding the historical significance of this event?  She’s not household name, but this accomplishment really deserved some shine.

So Dalilah, we thank you for finally breaking through for the U.S. in this event, for persevering through so many ups and downs in your career, for keeping the faith and putting it all together at just the right time.  You are a PHENOMENAL WOMAN who gave a PHENOMENAL PERFORMANCE!  Bravo Dalilah, bravo!!!