2024 Paris Olympics: After struggling with sponsorships and resources, this track and field athlete had finally made it to the greatest stage of all. But as she lined up on the track for the hundred-meter hurdles, a host from the past was just right around her shoulders. At the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, she crashed into a hurdle during the preliminary round, leading to disqualification. In Paris, she had aced the semifinals. In the finals, she jolted as soon as the gun cracked the silence, jumping over the first hurdle. She then leaped over the next one as well. But unfortunately, the 2022 ghost had the third hurdle cursed, where the Olympian tripped. She finished 7th (12.93 seconds). Ever since then, life has not been easy for the star. Struggling, she made a tweet that had many fans worried and wondering!

Taking to her X account, Alaysha Johnson wrote, “In full transparency, May has been the hardest month of my life to date. Emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually at war and still having to show up every single day. Waking up is hard; going to sleep is even harder. Anyways, onwards and upwards. ♥️ sending prayers for anyone feeling the same.” But why would that be the case? What happened to the track and field star in May?

Remember Fred Kerley not participating in the Miami Grand Slam Track because he was arrested? That is where it all goes back to. On May 1, Johnson alleged that her ex-boyfriend, fellow Olympian Fred Kerley, assaulted her at a hotel in Dania Beach, Florida. She claimed that Kerley punched her in the face during an argument, resulting in a bloody nose. Police reports indicated that her injuries were consistent with her account. Kerley was charged with one count of ‘battery-touch or strike‘, a misdemeanor in the state of Florida.

The Paris Olympic medalist appeared in court the following day, May 3, where he was granted a $1,000 bond and ordered not to contact Johnson or return to the hotel where the incident occurred. While all this was happening, Johnson kept her spirits and sprints strong and went on to race in the 75. Boris Hanžeković Memorial on 24th May, where she won the 100m hurdles with a time of 12.82 seconds. However, it might seem like her track and field career is going great, but that is not entirely true.

The only other win she had in May was the 100 mH in the 14th Savona International Meeting on 21st May, where she clocked 12.61. Other than that, she clocked a time of 11.61 seconds in the 100 meters for a third-place finish in the same event. After the Kerley incident, she went to race in the Miami Grand Slam Track on 2nd May, where, contrary to her stature, she finished at number 6. Yes, the Olympian clocked a time of  12.56 to be the second last one to cross the finish line, before Maribel Vanessa Caicedo.

Alaysha Johnson’s May struggles amid her track season absence

This is not the first time that Alaysha has openly talked about her struggles on social media, especially this month. Before her current X post, she let the world know more of her thoughts on May 27. “You just have to go after everything you ever wanted in life. Career, love, money, whatever. & if it doesn’t work, at least you tried!!!!” she was quick to mention in her post. Right after this, the second tweet said: “There is just no way I can fail at anything. All of it is just a lesson for the moment.” Likewise, she has been consistent with her retweets on her feed. From relationship advice to self-care, she has made sure to put it all up on her social media wall.

It only points out that amid this tough time, Alaysha Johnson is trying to move with a positive mind. On one side, as the track season rolls on and the Grand Slam series continues in Philadelphia, Alaysha Johnson is notably absent from the scenes. And as her peers continue to chase wins, her life is taking a necessary break, it seems. And this emotionally charged month does not mean that she has stepped away once and for all. Her performances in the past have shown promise, only hinting that a comeback is not off the table.