Nowadays, the sports stars are rubbing shoulders with the fashion gliteratti. In the same vein, track and field athletes are acing their fashion game like no other. Among various sports people flocking to ramp shows, Noah Lyles stands atop with his recent Milan Fashion Week display. But the track women are not far behind too and are slaying it sartorially with brand endorsement and the like.

Starting from legends like Sha’Carri Richardson and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, the women rock bold style statements while in action. But another 100m hurdle athlete Alaysha Johnson has also turned heads with her big lashes and gorgeous curls. But in this festive season, she has paired with a brand which most entities dream of.

Track and field star teams up with Rihanna

No other star slays in braces like Johnson does. And in 2023 Christmas, she notched up her popularity game by joining hands with Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty. The joint venture between TechStyle Fashion Group and Rihanna came into existence in 2018, which features loungewear, sleepwear, underwear, bras and lingerie. And wearing two pairs of stunning lingeries, Johnson posed in an X post with the caption, “American Track and Field Star Alaysha Johnson models for @SavageXFenty.”

In the first picture, the 27-year-old sat in a chair wearing a pinkish purple set. And in the second, she lay at her back with the camera capturing her from a top angle. Wearing a black set, Johnson smiled, owning her braces. Several celebrities, micro-influencers and influencers have the liberty to promote the brand under Savage X Ambassadors program. So, Alaysha Johnson was one such celebrated personality who bagged an opportunity to feature in Rihanna’s arena.

However glittery this side is, Johnson’s athletic career wasn’t particularly an easy ride.

Johnson’s journey of overcoming challenges

At the 2023 Pan-Am Games in Santiago, Johnson walked home with a bronze in 100m hurdles. But the beginning of her year was wobbly. Emerging as a silver medalist at the USATF Outdoor Championships had ignited hopes in the track and field athlete’s heart. But her dream of making it to the national field fell short by a fraction, on grounds of her unfortunate 4th finish. But when she didn’t get nominated as a pro athlete, the 27-year-old lashed out, saying,  “I dedicated my entire life to a sport to be ostracized from it for what?”

READ MORE: American-Born Shot Putter to Miss Paris Olympics Over 18-Month Doping Ban

Lack of resources made her a solo performer, but her sole guide and coach Morgan Wells never lost hope and said, “you’ve done things and seen places people will never achieve”. Now, since all the athletes are preparing for the big 2024 Paris Olympics, it may be that she is too.

Watch this story: Reminiscing His Vacation Spree in Jamaica, World Champion Noah Lyles makes a Special Appeal Ahead of World Athletics Awards