Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s rival Dalilah Muhammad makes shock announcement about future after World Championships disappointment

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone's former rival Dalilah Muhammad’s 2025 World Championships campaign came to a disappointing close after she was unable to medal in the 400m hurdles event. In light of her loss, Muhammad made a shocking announcement about her future in the sport.

Muhammad is undoubtedly one of the best 400m hurdles runners the world has seen. The American was a world record holder in the event at one point, and has been a two-time Olympic and World Champion. In early 2025, the hurdler announced that she would be calling time on her storied career at the end of the year.

However, these plans are now up in the air. In an interview with FloTrack after the World Championships finals, Dalilah Muhammad opened up about her future, saying,

“I feel good. I think you're always going to want more for yourself. And I think that's been the difficult part for me is you have little injuries and you think, "Oh man, if that wasn't the case, I can do this." But after a while, you just have to call it at some point. So, (I’m) not officially calling it. We'll make a final statement with the team and really make that decision. We kind of thought that was the plan going into this year, but I think things happen and plans change and we'll see if that's still the plan.”

At the World Championships, Muhammad pulled off impressive performances in her heats and semifinals, before finishing seventh in the finals, where Femke Bol, Jasmine Jones, and Emma Zapletalova took gold, silver, and bronze respectively.

Dalilah Muhammad reflects on her legacy in the 400m hurdles

Muhammad at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 (Image Source: Getty)

Dalilah Muhammad has been one of the greats of the 400m hurdles event and her legacy will stand strong when she does choose to retire. While the American was denied the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal and the honor of being the world record holder by compatriot Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, she still remains one of the most decorated athletes of the event.

Reflecting on her legacy, Muhammad told FloTrack,

“I'm really proud of what I've been able to accomplish in this sport. I'm proud of the mark that I set. The advancements I've personally made and just as a whole made in the 400 meter hurdles.”

Dalilah Muhammad first broke out onto the international scene all the way back in 2013, when she won a silver medal at the World Championships. Since then, she's gone on to win four more World Championships medals, including two golds, as well as three Olympic medals. She is also a two-time Diamond League Champion.