athlete

While stereotypes can be dangerous, sometimes they can be downright funny. Thankfully, one college athlete knew just what to do when an overconfident peer thought he could beat her at her own game — literally.When Will We Learn to Stop Underestimating Women?A recent TikTok video is going viral for all the right reasons!University of Virginia track and field athlete Alahna Sabbakhan (@lahnazak), was at crossroads. The scholarship athlete was shocked when she was challenged to a race by a male acquaintance who insisted "no woman could beat him."The best part? Her challenger wasn't even an athlete. What's even more bizarre was her challenger brought his family along to see his projected "big win." He Couldn’t Have Been More WrongIt all started during one of Alahna's routine workouts.The track star had been minding her own business, when her boyfriend's friend showed up out of the blue and insisted on competing against her in 400-meter race. Despite the absurdity of his claims, the 22-year-old track star embraced the opportunity before her. Instead of choosing to be insulted by his overconfidence, she chose to turn it into a powerful lesson for everyone watching...and the results couldn't have been more perfect.He Didn’t Realize He’d Just Picked the Hardest RaceDuring the first half of the 400-meter race, she cheekily kept pace with her challenger, who "does not run" regularly, she said in the video. "He didn't really know what to challenge me in," she says. "He was like, 'Yeah, I could beat her in the 400' — not realizing that that was one of the hardest track events and that was one of my secondary events."Alahna SabbakhanAt the 150 meter mark, her challenger wrongly thought they were neck and neck — he didn't realize he'd already overexerted himself whereas Alahna was just getting started.After the first 200 meters passed, her competitor fell off. At the same time, Alahna picked up the pace to "finish hard, because that's what you do as a track runner," she shared.It wasn't long before the gap between them widened drastically and Alahna was the clear winner, leaving her overconfident competitor in the dust.Maybe someone should have warned him to stay in his own lane (literally)!She Had Nothing To Prove — "Just to Clarify, I Did Not Want to Race This Man"Even though he was totally out of his field, Alahna wasn't looking to school anyone.In her video Alahna clarifies she was a reluctant participant; "I did not want to race this man. I was already at the track with my boyfriend doing a workout, and he came to join."More than anything, the athlete — who runs a successful TikTok page sharing diet and fitness tips — wanted to remind her followers to not let other people's opinions of you get in your head!TikTok / @lahnazak"My mom tells me this all the time: You already won. You already got your college scholarship, earned your athlete status," she continues. "So I don't think me racing some random guy at the track is really going to determine anything for me."Nearly 12 million views later, it's clear Alahna's story made its mark.With millions of views and climbing, the virality of the video speaks to the "universal experience" of having our years of hard work questioned and why it's important to block out the noise and keep your eyes on the prize.Finish Strong for Yourself — One Athlete’s Inspiring Message for People EverywhereWhen it comes to confidence, Alahna shared her story as a reminder of why it's so important to not compare yourself to others."Focus on your journey and your progress and where you used to be and where you want to be, because it's just going to waste your time and drain your energy to be focused on everyone else," she says.Keep realistic and motivating goals. "If you're writing them down and reminding yourself of (your goals) every day, then that really helps block out that extra noise," she says. "That's been helping me not care about the negative things people are saying to me because of that video. I'm just reminding myself about how I have bigger goals."