Why did she deliberately lose the game in the Olympics?

She might be the smartest athlete I've ever seen. In the 2024 Olympic trials, Nia Ali was running in the 100-meter hurdles to qualify for the semifinals. But Ali came up slow, and a lot of people, including one of the commentators, named and thought that she might have gotten injured.

Late!

Oh no! That must mean she's injured!

But she was actually just thinking ahead. See, Ali was 35 years old, and at this this point she had plenty of experience in this event. She'd been through the highs of championship wins and the lows of early exits. She knew what it meant to push too hard, too soon. She also knew how unforgiving the track could be to those who didn't respect her limits. So she had learned time and time again to not tire herself out or risk injury in the early rounds. She kept her composure while others sprinted at full speed. There was no panic, no rush, just control. That kind of patience isn't easy

to come by, especially on a stage where every second is judged. When she found out that everyone in the race would move on to the next round regardless of what they placed in the race, she decided to take it easy and safe, coming eight they placed in the race, she decided to take it easy and safe, coming eight seconds slower.