Marie-Josée Ta Lou is often unlucky on days when she needs to be perfect.
At the 2016 Olympics, Ta Lou, a sprinter from the West African nation of Ivory Coast, missed the women’s 100-meter medal stand by just seven thousandths of a second. Days later, he missed out on a medal by a single place, finishing fourth in the 200 meters.
Five years later, Ta Lou advanced to the women’s 100-meter final at the Tokyo Olympics with the third-fastest seed time. Ta Lou says he is in the best shape of his life, but has dealt with stomach issues since the semifinals. He grinned and grinned in the 100-meter final as runners raced ahead of him. He finished fourth again.
In a sport where the Olympics and the World Championships are paramount — and in a race where runners have to execute flawlessly in just under 11 seconds — one small misstep is can be the difference between winning the gold medal and missing the podium altogether, becoming a global superstar or fading into a forgotten speedster.
Ta Lou, 34, has the eighth fastest time ever by a woman over 100 meters (10.72 seconds). However, he has no gold medal to show for it.
The Tokyo Olympics was a breaking point. Ta Lou calls her boyfriend in tears and tells her that she is retiring.
“At that point, I didn’t want to continue running,” he said in a phone interview. “It’s just too much for me. I’m done. That was the worst year.”
Then with some convincing from his girlfriend and his manager, instead of retiring, Ta Lou decided that a change in teaching might help him reach the medal stand. He hired John Smith, who also coached last year’s 400-meter world champion, Michael Norman. Smith helped Ta Lou run the world’s third-fastest time in the 100 meters this year, 10.75 seconds.
She will have another chance to win her first gold at this summer’s World Championships, which begin on August 19 in Budapest, Hungary. Ta Lou can also compete in the 200 meters, a decision she will make after running the 100.
“I’m definitely going for the gold, and I believe I can do it,” Ta Lou said. “I pray for it.”
Most individual sports offer multiple opportunities each year to bolster an athlete’s legacy and earning potential, such as majors in golf or Grand Slams in tennis. But in track and field, the most important races are the Olympic Games, which occur every four years, and the World Championships, which occur every two years. (The World Championships take place in both 2022 and 2023 after pandemic delays forced the postponement of the 2021 championships.)
Outstanding performances at those events can lead to major sponsorships — and disappointing finishes can create financial insecurity.
To prepare for this year’s championships, Ta Lou competed in many of the 100-meter races on the Diamond League circuit, an annual series of 14 meetings that crowns a champion at its conclusion. Many top athletes skip most of that circuit to ensure they are as fresh as possible for the World Championships or Olympics.
But the meets proved crucial for Ta Lou this season as she adapted to a new running style and a training regimen that helped establish her as one of the world’s most consistent women in the 100 meters.
“We had the opportunity to work on some technical things that allowed him to be as strong as all the Europeans, the Jamaicans and the Americans,” said Smith, his coach. “So, as he heads to the line, he’s coming in with an arsenal equal to theirs.”
Ivory Coast has never won gold in the 100 meters at the World Championships. Jamaica and the United States dominated the event, winning 14 of the 18 golds since the race was first held in 1983. Ta Lou is the second female sprinter from her country to medal in the 100 meters.
However, even with the third-fastest 100-meter time in the world this year, Ta Lou is considered a long shot to win gold. He could disrupt a streak of Jamaican dominance in the event or spoil Sha’Carri Richardson’s renaissance. Richardson of the US and Shericka Jackson of Jamaica have both run faster than Ta Lou this year, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the reigning Olympic 100-meter champion, of Jamaica, will be considered medal-standing favorites.
But the World Championships have been historically fruitful for Ta Lou. In 2017, he won silver medals in the 100 and 200-meter races, and in 2019, he finished with bronze in the 100. (A shoulder injury last year prevented him from making the World Championship final for the first time since 2015. )
“When I talk to him about him, I don’t talk to him about anybody else because our goals are high enough that they put him on top of the podium,” Smith said. “I see that everyone is running fast and stuff, but so is he.”
Ta Lou’s finish at this year’s World Championships will have little impact on his status as one of the greatest African sprinters ever. She holds the African record in the 100 meters, and her three combined World Championship medals in the 100 and 200 are the most by a woman representing an African country.
Ta Lou’s accomplishments are even more impressive because he didn’t start competing in track and field until he was 18. He had always wanted to be a professional soccer player, but he turned to track after being convinced by his parents. brother give the sport a chance. Today, Ta Lou is a mentor and inspiration for many running for the Ivory Coast.
For Jessika Gbai, 24, a teammate of Ta Lou’s in the Ivory Coast 4×100-meter relay squad, Ta Lou has become an unexpected “big sister” for her since she turned professional last year. He is still a little surprised every time he receives long texts or calls of encouragement from Ta Lou, he said.
“It’s amazing to see someone in his position actually trying to help people like me,” Gbai said. “He is already at a world-class level. His goal is to get a medal. My goal is to get there.”
Gbai continued: “So it doesn’t matter if he wins. I feel like he’s done a lot and has a lot of talent and years left. I’m just in awe of everything he’s done and continues to do.”