Mom-of-three Nia Ali aiming for another victory lap at 2022 World Track and Field Championships

When Nia Ali steps on the track to defend her world title in the women’s 100m hurdles this week in Eugene, Oregon, she’s got even more on the line than she did in 2019. The 33-year-old sprinter is now a mom to three children and her goal is to take a victory lap around beloved Hayward Field with all three in tow.

“Honestly, we talk about pressure — that’s where all the pressure comes from, like, my children,” Ali said in a recent interview with NBC Sports. “They don’t know what I’m doing. They think it’s all fun and games because when they run, it’s fun. When they race people, it’s fun. When they talk trash, it’s fun. They tell me all the time, ‘You’re not that fast. I will dust you.” And I’m like, ‘Here we go.'”

“I always have to keep in mind their eyes and their viewpoint — that they’re looking at it so innocent and to be able to channel that when I go out there, I’m like, ‘That will be my best approach, just channel it like I am them.’ I mean, they have my DNA. I was once that fearless at some point. I once enjoyed it purely. … They really help me in that, and I want to be able to give back in that experience and have it for all of them.”

Sharing a victory lap with her kids has become a bit of a tradition for Ali, who first took eldest son Titus, now 7, on her celebratory spin after winning the 60m hurdles at the 2016 indoor worlds after earning 100m hurdles silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics. After winning gold in the 100m hurdles at the 2019 Worlds in Doha, she carried then-16-month-old daughter Yuri while Titus skipped, danced and jumped along. Now she’s looking to share a similar moment with 1-year-old son Kenzo.

“Right now, he doesn’t know, but when he gets older, I can guarantee it: The other two will brag about