DEFYING THE ODDS
I slept in a car gifted by my coach while I worked as a bartender, now I’m chasing gold at 2024 Paris Olympics
Johnson has had to fight through health issues to reach the top of her sport
FOR Alaysha Johnson, reaching the 2024 Paris Olympics marks the culmination of a lifetime of dedication and defiance against the odds.
At the age of 28, for the first time in her career, Johnson will soon pack her bags for an Olympic Games.
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She is set to represent Team USA in the 100-meter hurdles, after finishing second at the track and field qualifiers.
While an incredible accomplishment in itself, Johnson's achievement is all the more impressive when learning more about her story.
Originally from Spring, Texas, Johnson enjoyed a prolific high school career, being named the Gatorade Texas Track Athlete of the Year in 2013, while also winning three 5A state hurdle titles.
In 2014, she enrolled at Oregon, spending four years there, winning numerous medals including two golds at the Pac-12 Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 2017, before spending a year at Texas Tech.
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While in college, she found out that she suffered from hyperthyroidism, something she opened up about during a recent interview on The Pivot.
"My muscles don't rebuild at the same speed as other peoples muscles," Johnson explained.
She went on to add that it can also make her feel tired and lethargic, noting that it's previously caused her hair to fall out, leaving her with dry skin, brittle nails, and issues with her voice changing.
After two years away from the sport, Johnson opted to give track and field another shot.
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But throughout her journey to the top, she's had to battle not only health issues but financial ones as well.
"I can't name one other person that runs track and field that I feel like would wake up at 3am to be at 24 Hour Fitness by 4am, leaving at 10am to go to practice, sleeping in a car that the coach gave you," Johnson explained.
We're husband and wife Team USA Olympic and Paralympic stars – being together in Paris means everything to us
"Going to practice, leaving, going to Twin Peaks at 5, getting off at 2, and doing it all over again. Nobody could do that."
Johnson also noted how she qualified for the Olympics without a main sponsor.
"I did it with no sponsorships, I did it with a Black designer on my chest, I did it with a long weave, and nails and lashes, and everything that everybody told me was going to hold me back," she said.
Not only did Johnson qualify without a sponsor, but she did so in a pair of borrowed shoes after the bubble in her pair of Nike's broke.
"People like me who come from the inner city of Houston ... it's hard for us to get opportunities," she said after qualifying, as per Fox Sports.
"It always takes what I say is double the effort to get half as far.
"I always tell people if we had a little bit more support, I probably could have been here a long time ago.
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"But it made me understand that regardless of how many people have your back, I'm still strong enough to do this on my own two feet."
As for why Johnson doesn't have a sponsor, she noted that "there's speculation that I'm too old, that because I left the sport for two years and came back or because I train with Morgan [Wells] and it's not like a manipulated type of situation that they're just good off of you."
But while Johnson may have made the Olympic team, this doesn't mean financial stability is suddenly a sure thing.
She explained on The Pivot how difficult the financial scene of track and field is, adding that her winnings from competitions "comes in six to nine months late."
"I'm not seeing none of that money from the Olympic team until October, November, December," Johnson added.
With a trip to Paris looming, Johnson's goals are clear - she aims to be the first woman to run the 100-meter hurdles in under 12 seconds.
Thankfully, Johnson will now have her mom in the stadium cheering her on as she attempts to break the 12.12 world record.
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Following the podcast, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin told Johnson that they would be covering the costs for her mom to travel to France.
The women's hurdles will begin on August 7 with the final scheduled for August 10.
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