Ali pulls off upset, takes hurdles gold
DOHA, Qatar — It’s no big leap to say Nia Ali had her hands full Sunday night — with one kid in her arms, another on her hip and a gold-medal ceremony on her schedule.
And that was after the race.
The American put an exclamation point on a world championships that any mother could love, adding her name to the list of title-winning moms at these games by pulling an upset in the 100-meter hurdles.
“It’s been such an inspiration to see everyone come together and feed off each other,” Ali said.
Her two kids, 4-year-old son Titus and 16-month-old daughter Yuri, came down from the stands to share the victory lap. With the American flag wrapped around her back, Ali cradled Yuri in her arms while Titus skipped, danced and jumped along the outside of the track.
The American 1,600 relay team, led by hurdlers Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin, blew out the field for a 2.97-second win over Poland.
No nation had more golds than the U.S., which tied its championships record with 14.
The U.S. total of 29 (Usain Bolt-less Jamaica was second with 14) was one less than the record it set in London in 2017. It sends the signal that the Americans will have contenders spread throughout Olympic Stadium for the Tokyo Games next year.
It figures that many of their most competitive races will be between themselves.
Ali beat out world record holder Keni Harrison to give the U.S. women their second 1-2 finish in the hurdles, two nights after Muhammad set the 400-meter hurdles world record in a close victory over McLaughlin.
But Ali’s victory was hard to see coming — for everyone but her, that is.
Harrison is the world record holder, and she has been finishing second most of the year to Danielle Williams of Jamaica. Williams is the world leader who refused to leave the track after false starting in her national championships, but was later given a reprieve, and a spot here, after her federation declared the race null and void.
“Lord knows I’ve been through a lot,” Williams said after she finished third. “I can’t be complaining.”
When Ali crossed the finish line and saw her name come up first next to a personal-best time of 12.34 seconds, she broke into tears. It was her first victory in anything resembling a major race since 2016.
“I replayed this race so much in my head, and every time, that’s the way it ended for me,” she said. “So just to see it play out … exactly how I envisioned it, that was my natural reaction.”
Other gold medals went to a dominant U.S. men’s 1,600 relay team, Malaika Mihmbo of Germany (long jump), Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya (1,500 meters), Anderson Peters of Grenada (javelin) and Joshua Chpetegei of Uganda (10,000 meters).