The holy month of Ramadhan is usually a time for families and friends to come together, but the coronavirus pademic has changed everything.
Holy sites and mosques are closed, loved ones are separatedfrom each other. Many traditions and routines have had to be altered because ofa virus which has changed the world.
“It’s been very difficult,” Olympic championDalilah Muhammad, who is observing Ramadhan, tells CNN Sport. “My familyis in New York and New York was hit really hard. Just being away from them,it’s been a little bit difficult.
“Both my parents, they’re doing well. My sister alsolives in New York and she’s doing well with her family. It’s good to know thatthey’re doing well, but I definitely wish I can kind of take this time to seeeveryone.”
At the 2016 Olympics, Dalilah won gold in the 400 metershurdles on a rainy night in Rio de Janeiro. Her victory made her one of twoAmerican Muslim women to win medals at the Games (fencer Ibtihaj Dalilah won abronze). Last year, Dalilah broke her own world record in claiming the 400mhurdles world title in Doha.
Over the month of Ramadhan — which this year started on theevening of April 23 — Muslims abstain from food and water during daylighthours, a practice that is seen as one of the five pillars of Islam. They can eatbefore sunrise, and break their fast after dusk each day. With athletics eventscanceled across the globe, these unusual times have at least given Dalilah, 30,a chance to fast for the whole month, something she would not normally be ableto do when competing.
“I’m definitely using this opportunity to fast morethan I normally would,” she explained. “I always try to fast somedays during the season. It’s just honestly extremely difficult for me to trainas hard as I do and fast.
“I’m never able to do the full 30 days or the fullmonth and this time I kind of made a promise myself to really do it. I can doit now that my training isn’t as intense. There’s no major championships to getready for.”
Dalilah poses next to the screen reading the new worldrecord she set in the Women’s 400m hurdles at the 2019 IAAF Athletics WorldChampionships at the Khalifa International stadium.
Dalilah poses next to the screen reading the new worldrecord she set in the Women’s 400m hurdles at the 2019 IAAF Athletics World Championshipsat the Khalifa International stadium.
At this time of year daylight can last for over 13 hours inLos Angeles, where New Yorker Dalilah lives. So, fasting is no easy feat and,of course, there are cravings to overcome and traditions to keep. “Growingup, my father always broke his fast with dates and just being home inCalifornia, I’m just kind of keeping that tradition,” she said.
“I’ve been craving sweets right now, and that’ssomething I never really crave. I’m not like a big sweet person, but forwhatever reason, even last night [April 27] I was craving a cinnamon bun, I waslike crossing my fingers that Cinnabon would be open. Of course, it was not. Sodefinitely craving sweets; had some Dunkin Donuts last night.”
Dalilah’s father, Askia, is an imam and has been ensuringthe Dalilah family stay in touch throughout the crisis.
“My father implicated that we need to do this once aweek. I don’t think we’ve made it quite once every week, but we do try to makea time to do Zoom calls. Just see everyone’s face. I’ve definitely beenFaceTiming a lot.”
Dalilah poses for a portrait during Team USA’s Tokyo 2020Olympics shoot on November 19, 2019.
Dalilah poses for a portrait during Team USA’s Tokyo 2020Olympics shoot on November 19, 2019.
Potential Olympic “heartbreak”
In March, it was announced that the Tokyo Olympics,originally scheduled to take place this summer, would be postponed to 2021″to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in theOlympic Games and the international community.”
For Dalilah, plans to defend the title she won four yearsago are on hold.
“I understood the decision to hold it in 2021, ofcourse I absolutely agree with it,” she said.
“But, for me personally, it was a little bitdisappointing. We as athletes, our lives are planned around these four yearsand we know every fourth year is going to be an Olympic Games and we kind ofschedule our training around it and really our lives, our personal lives.”
Since the announcement of the initial postponement, Tokyo2020 Games president Yoshiro Mori has indicated that if the pandemic continuesthe Olympics could be canceled.
“That would be really heartbreaking,” admittedDalilah. “We sacrifice so much for the Olympic Games and just to representour country, and we love what we do.
“I’m striving to get a medal at the Olympics and I’d bethe reigning champ, Olympic champion, and so it has definitely beendisheartening. We’ll just have to see how it all plays out.”
Minding the dogs
With running tracks closed, Dalilah has been training in thegrass fields in Northridge, Los Angeles. After initially training alone, shehas now resumed working with her coaches while keeping a social distance frommembers of the public — though there are the dogs to navigate around.
Dalilah said: “There are a lot of dogs in the park right now, a lot of people walking their dogs and the dogs are not doing that !
“I’m honestly enjoying just kind of running for funagain. I think we focus so much on the competition aspect and, of course,that’s important being a professional athlete, but I’m really just enjoyinggetting out there and running.”
The reigning World Athlete of the Year has also beenspending time in lockdown taking part in online challenges.
She helped tee off an indoor relay challenge on herInstagram account with other Nike-sponsored sports stars, including NFL widereceiver Odell Beckham Jr., while fellow American hurdler Queen Harrison gother to take part in a Don’t Rush-style challenge, which features people seamlesslytransforming from everyday clothes to more glamorous attire with the flick of amake-up brush.
“It was just a way for us to kind of express ourselves.Get on some nice clothes, or some different clothes, that we normally wear whenwe’re out training, so it was fun,” she said.
Although one challenge she hasn’t taken up is dressing up totake out the trash.
“No, I’m not one of those people, not yet. Maybe sometimes to the grocery store, but that’s about it,” she said. Courtesy:CNN