Training Together to Compete Against Each Other at World Championships

The bucket list for South Carolina track & field seniors Aliyah Abrams and Wadeline Jonathas keeps getting smaller. That’s because they’ve accomplished so much in a short time and another milestone was recently achieved when both qualified for the IAAF World Championships in the 400m. Jonathas will compete for Team USA, while Abrams will represent Guyana in Doha, Quatar, later this year.

“It means a lot to me,” Abrams said. “I have been working very hard. I just love the fact that I am going into these games with a lot more confidence. I love competing for my country. They’re very supportive. I’m just so excited to go and compete!”

“No words. I don’t know what to say. It’s amazing,” Jonathas said. “It’s the biggest accomplishment I’ve had in my entire running career. I just have to thank God, my coaches and everyone who supports me. It feels pretty good.”

“It’s a spectacular thing for our program and our team,” said assistant coach Karim Abdel Wahab, who works with sprinters. “It shows people across the country that we have what it takes here at South Carolina to have our student-athletes compete at the highest stage.”

While both are very talented, head coach Curtis Frye praised their work ethic as a key factor in their ability to go from “good” to “special.”

“Their improvement comes from sacrifice,” said head coach Curtis Frye. “They’re at work. It’s hot in Columbia. They’re excited about getting to make these teams, but this is not easy. It’s a lot of work. They’re paying a price that other people won’t pay. That makes them different.

“This gives us reinforcement that we’re doing something right. Often people have to see it before they believe it. These are athletes who believed it and they’re seeing the fruition of their belief.”

“We’re all working hard, and when you finally get to see it showing up on the track with personal records, running races that feel good, and bringing the best out of yourself; it’s always a plus,” Abrams said. “It means all that you’re working for, you’re getting.”

“It’s great having someone right next you who is going through the same thing as you and has the same goal as you, too.”
– Aliyah  Abrams

Traveling the world and having success is nothing new for the duo. Abrams previously represented Guyana in the 2016 Olympic Games. Jonathas made a huge splash last season in her first year with the Gamecocks. She had transferred from UMass Boston, where she won nine NCAA Division III National Championships.

It didn’t’ take Jonathas long settle into NCAA Division I competition as she and Abrams were part of South Carolina’s 4x400m indoor national championship relay team to earn first team All-America honors in the event. Abrams also earned first team All-American accolades in the 400m, while Jonathas earned second team All-America honors in the event. The success continued in the outdoor season where Jonathas won the national title in the 400m. Both earned first team All-American honors in 4x400m relay and the 400m. Abrams and Jonathas were also part of the winning team at the prestigious Penn Relays in the 4x200m and 4x400m relays last spring.

While Jonathas can make it look easy, she didn’t expect to succeed so quickly on the larger stages.

“Maybe the next five years or 10 years. Definitely not this soon,” Jonathas said. “It’s pretty overwhelming. I’m just going to use my gifts and my talents to where God wants me to be. I’ve always wanted to compete on the big stage. It’s all happening so fast. Two years ago, I did not see me being here. Now I’m one of the best in the world, I guess. I don’t let it get to me. I’m pretty pleased, but I’m not satisfied.”

“It was a big journey for her,” Wahab said. “Wadeline is a competitive person. She wants to reach her potential. She has a chip on her shoulder. People were telling her, ‘you were great at Division III, but are you ready for Division I?’ She did bring that up to me. After our ladies won the NCAA 4×400 Indoors, I told her, ‘I think you’re ready for Division I.’ She wanted to prove herself, and it was a great motivator for her.”

“All of the competition is shaping me as an athlete overall,” Abrams added. “It’s helping with nerves and being big stages.”

Neither had time to rest after a terrific spring season as they trained in attempt to qualify for the IAAF World Championships, and now that they’ve both qualified, they’re thankful to be able to lean on each other as they train, even though they’ll be competing against each other.  _­

“When we go to Worlds, I’m thinking, ‘yeah, you’re my teammate, but right now we’re enemies,” Jonathas said with a laugh. “Track is an individual sport, but I still love her outside of that.

“Aliyah is amazing. I’m glad I have her because without her, I probably wouldn’t be accomplishing all that I’m accomplishing right now. She is definitely pushing me and helping me, just like I’m helping her. We help each other.”

“That’s the best thing,” Abrams said. “I just love the fact that Wadeline made it. We’ll be putting in some hard training hours coming up. It’s great having someone right next you who is going through the same thing as you and has the same goal as you, too.

“She pushes me, and I push her. There are no days off. We’re always working. We don’t let each other slack, because we know that if we do, it will cost us a lot.”

“It makes it extra special (for both to be going) because you don’t want an athlete to be training by themselves,” Wahab said. “To have both of them supporting each other, it’s makes the job way easier to have a training partner doing the same event.”