''Dalilah Muhammad, you revolutionized this event" - Anna Cockrell is all praises for the former Olympic champion after qualifying for Paris Olympics

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Jul 02, 2024 06:30 GMT

Anna Cockrell has made it to her second consecutive Summer Olympics since Tokyo 2020. Cockrell finished second behind Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and slightly ahead of Jasmine Jones to make the cut for Paris Olympics 2024.

However, even in the chaos, the 26-year-old sprinter from San Ramon, California, didn't forget to thank her inspiration, Dalilah Muhammad, for her journey so far. The defending Olympic champion for the past two editions [Rio and Tokyo], Muhammad finished sixth overall at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in the same event as McLaughlin-Levrone broke the record.

Anna Cockrell said just after the trials:

"Dalilah Muhammad, you've revolutionized this event...The impact you've had on this sport goes beyond medals, goes beyond records....You're great, you're poised, you're competition, you're a mentor to me, I can't say thank you to her enough. I want to give her the flowers now...Sorry for hijacking the interview!"

Anna Cockrell aiming for a better shot at the podium in Paris Olympics 2024

Anna Cockrell relaxing with Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone after the U.S. Olympics Track and Field trials

Even as Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone cruised her way to another world record-breaking victory, Anna Cockrell gave her a tough fight as she finished second, only 1.99 seconds behind her at 52.64 seconds.

Cockrell is a far cry from the athlete who was disqualified from the finals of the Tokyo Olympics. The 26-year-old sprinter had finished second in the semifinals to qualify for the finals of the women's 400 m hurdles, alongside Dalilah Muhammad and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.

But while McLaughlin-Levrone broke the world record to win the Olympic gold, followed by Muhammad with the silver, Cockrell only managed to finish seventh overall. However, due to a lane violation, she was disqualified altogether.

Since then, Cockrell has come a long way. She began 2024 on an impressive note, as she won the USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix with a timing of 53.75 seconds overall. She then qualified for the semifinals of the U.S. Olympic trials with ease, topping the heats with a time of 54.71 seconds, and further improving her time in the semifinals by clocking 52.95 seconds.

Although she couldn't overcome McLaughlin-Levrone, Cockrell improved her timing further to a personal best of 52.64 in the finals of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. She can now stake a claim to a possible podium finish at the women's 400 m hurdles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.