Alahna Sabbakhan is a women’s Division 1 (D1) sprinter who recently went viral after a video of her winning a race against a man was shared. The athlete allegedly refused to admit that she would never lose to a woman in a competition, so the athlete competed against her boyfriend’s friends.
In the video, we can see Sabahan and his opponent moving at almost the same pace during the first half of the match. However, things changed completely after the first 200 meters, as Alana Sabhahan picked up the pace, widening the gap between the two and ultimately taking the overall victory for the University of Virginia runner.
Fans and followers of athletics shared their reactions to the viral video, which has racked up 18.5 million views on social media.
The video reminded viewers of instances of men claiming they could beat the legendary Serena Williams in a tennis match. They write:
“It reminds me of all these people saying they could probably beat Serena Williams in tennis.”
One viewer spoke of the embarrassment he would face on the way home as the man challenging Saba Khan also brought his family. They write:
“It’s crazy to embarrass the whole family, the drive home must be silent”
Due to the similar speed of the two competitors, one spectator humorously suggested that the man might have thought he could win in the first half. They write:
“He really thinks he has a chance to get into the top 200 games”
Here are some other reactions to the viral video:
Alahna Sabbakhan achieved a personal best of 54.67 in the 400m
Alahna Sabbakhan ran a personal best time of 54.67 seconds in the women’s 400m at the 2023 ACC Outdoor Championships at the Paul Derr TF Facility in Raleigh, USA on May 12, 2023. On February 6, 2022, she set a best time of 2:05.74 in the women’s 800m at Rector Fieldhouse in Blacksburg.
Sabbakhan was a 2015 AAU All-American Junior Olympic medalist and a six-time USATF All-American Junior Olympic medalist. In addition, she became a three-time national champion after winning the 400m and 4x400m relay at the 2015 USATF Championships (indoor) and the 4x800m relay at the 2016 outdoor USATF Championships.
Her other achievements include becoming the 2019 New Balance Emerging Elite Indoor 800m Champion. She placed first in the 300 meters and first in the 500 meters at the FIT Invitational, finishing in the top ten nationally with a time of 1:15. She was also named the 2019 and 2018 WCAC Championship Female Athlete MVP.