Marie-Josée Ta Lou has often been unlucky on days when she needed to be perfect.
At the 2016 Olympics, Ta Lou, a 34-year-old sprinter from the West African nation of Ivory Coast, missed the women’s 100-meter medal stand by just seven-thousandths of a second. Days later, she lost out on a medal by a single place yet again, finishing fourth in the 200 meters.
Five years later, Ta Lou headed into the women’s 100-meter final at the Tokyo Olympics with the third-fastest seed time. Ta Lou said she was in the best shape of her life, but she dealt with stomach issues beginning in the semifinals.