"I cried all day in the bed about it" - US athlete Alaysha Johnson opens up on getting back up after heartbreaking finish at Paris Olympics

By Agnijeeta Majumder

Modified Aug 16, 2024 10:35 GMT

American hurdler Alaysha Johnson has shared the mental struggles of getting back to practice after facing a setback in the women's 100m hurdles final at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She got through to the final stage in Paris and started the race but hit the third hurdle with her left foot, which ended her Olympic bid.

Johnson made the first Olympic appearance of her career at the 2024 Summer Games. Upon advancing to the 100m hurdles final, she reached out for help on X to purchase eight tickets for her family to watch her live in the French capital, along with a warning about the prices.

"If anybody wants to buy me 8 tickets so my family can watch me run then I’d love yall. but know they going for $500 a piece," Alaysha Johnson said.

Alexis Ohanian, the husband of tennis star Serena Wiliams, responded to the tweet and said:

"Got you. @athlos account will handle"

Alaysha Johnson bested her rivals and finished on top in the semifinal race with a time of 12.34 seconds, a hundredth of a second ahead of reigning Olympic champion, Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico.

However, the final race saw the University of Oregon alumna hit the third hurdle, lose balance, and tip backward. When she regained her pace, Johnson had already lost her maiden Olympic podium. She later took to X to share the difficulties of getting back on track after the setback.

"On my way to my first practice since.. and I cried all day in the bed about it. Nobody ever tells you how hard it is to pick yourself back up once your dreams don’t come true," Alaysha Johnson said.

In what will be her first competitive appearance after the Paris Olympics, Johnson has been invited to be a part of the 100m hurdles line-up at the upcoming inaugural edition of Athlos 2024, potentially en route to the biggest prize purse ever boasted by a women's track and field event of $60,000.

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Alaysha Johnson will be a part of Alexis Ohanian's Athlos

In April 2024, a women-only track meet established by Serena Williams' husband Alexis Ohanian was announced as the 776 Invitational. Later acquiring the name Athlos, it is set to open its gates at the iconic Icahn Stadium on Randalls Island in New York on September 26.

Alaysha Johnson at The Olympic Games-Paris 2024 - Source: Getty

Upon receiving her invitation to the event, Alaysha Johnson expressed gratitude toward Athlos for the opportunity and toward her fans. She posted on X and said:

"The love I received was the love needed. Thank yall for all the kind messages and replies. ATHLOS, this one is for yall. Talk soon."

The prize money for the first, second and third finishing positions in each of the six categories of events at Athlos will be $60,000, $25,000 and $10,000, respectively.