Lydia Ali looks to repeat as Pennsylvania track champion

Lydia Ali's introduction to track came in an odd way and in of all places, on a soccer field. She came barreling down the field as she usually did, when the ball slammed so hard into her face it temporarily knocked her out. She came to consciousness crying and scared, and all she could see was red through her left eye. It was blood caused by internal bleeding from a dislocated retina.

Ali had to wear a protective shield over her eye, walking around school like a pirate, but it looked like soccer, her first love, would have to go. A friend of hers suggested track.

In three years' time, the Radnor (Pa.) senior went from someone who never ran track before to being the Pennsylvania Class AAA state champion in the 100-meter dash (in 11.83 seconds). She's already committed to Pennsylvania University to run track, selecting the Quakers over Maryland, Pittsburgh and Georgetown.

What's fascinating is the journey that got Ali there.

You see, before the distant relative of legendary boxer Muhammad Ali took up track the spring semester of her freshman year, she had no idea she was fast.



"You know it's funny, growing up, no one ever did tell me I was fast," said Ali, whose fastest time time in the 100-meter dash is 11.34 seconds, ran at a national AAU qualifier a few weeks after the state finals last spring. "When we did sprinting drills for soccer, I was the one they always picked to race the coach and I'd win. When I was younger, I used to race the boys in the neighborhood and I would win. They'd get a little upset about it, but no, no one ever told me I was fast."

But Radnor coach Tom Flanagan noticed Ali's raw speed immediately. She had no running experience at all, so Flanagan wanted to ease her into the sport, moving her around on various relays and continuing to hone her technique.

"You could just tell Lydia was special," Flanagan recalled. "Usually, you find talents like her running for a track club. But when Lydia came out her freshman year, no one knew about her. She didn't even understand how fast she was. She came out of the clear blue sky. It took a year or two for her to realize her ability. She's a once-in-every-20-years type of runner."

Ali didn't really break out until last spring, her junior year. She worked hard, but never really pushed her talent to higher levels. As a freshman, she learned about track. As a sophomore, she was ready to make a step, but faltered at the district level. It was a matter of experience, and it was also a matter of confidence.

The stumbling block was a large one, reigning state 100-meter champion Rayiana Johnson from Chester.

"Before my junior year, to me, it was more a mental game," Ali said. "I always took track seriously, but I guess it was more believing in myself. I finally learned to push myself before my junior year. In a way, I would take myself out of races, before the race even began. I made it more about comparing myself to other runners, putting them in my head rather than just making myself as good as I can be. I had to learn to put blinders on when I ran. And Rayiana was the big, bad wolf. She always beat me. I never got close to her."



It's when Ali invested in herself — and into track — that changes started to come during her junior indoor season. For one, she beat Johnson in the 55-meter dash. That filled her with the confidence that she could challenge Johnson for something more in the spring.

"Beating Rayiana was surreal, that told me that I actually had speed," Ali said. "I guess that time and commitment was worth something."

Continue reading{PAGEBREAK}Last spring, Ali won the Central League 100- and 200-meter dash races, won the Delaware County championship in the 400-meter dash and district championship in the 100. Ali was still unsure about the state championship, but Flanagan knew.

"There was no doubt Lydia was going to win, I knew it, and I remember telling Lydia before the state championship race that I knew she was nervous and all the other girls were nervous, too — they were nervous about her," Flanagan said. "Lydia is running well again. She has one of the top times in the state in the 100 and 200. She's working harder than she's ever worked. Being the defending state champion is always tough. The last few years Lydia's been a big-meet runner. She runs well when that pressure is on in big meets."

Ali made Radnor school history by becoming the first girl to win the state 100-meter dash. She's set, after committing to Penn on Dec. 10. The funny thing is that her friend that suggested track to her never went out herself.

It's led to a wonderland  — Ali has to blink sometimes to realize where she is, which is among the best in the country. It comes with some pressure, but it's pressure Ali is ready for.

Being related to "The Greatest" presents its own built-in tension, though Lydia talks little about it. She's had little to no contact with the former heavyweight champion.

"I met Ali a few times and it was pretty special," Lydia said. "We're related through my mother and I think it is kind of special to carry the Ali name."

She feels a far greater weight carrying on the title of defending state champion.

"I definitely feel the pressure is there; it's motivated me even more to take that one extra step," Ali said. "It would really mean a lot to me to repeat — it's my one big goal. Even getting out of districts will feel great again."

This time, however, everyone will be targeting Ali.

Joseph Santoliquito can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.