Leaning Into Discomfort with Alison dos Santos

Humble beginnings and major childhood challenges kept Alison dos Santos well aware that guarantees were not easy to come by in his native São Joaquim da Barra, Brazil.

Still, he found his way, navigated toward track and field, and a bronze at the 2018 World U20 Championships proved to be a breakout moment. The next year, he followed it up with efforts at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha that shifted attention his way as he battled to the 400m hurdles final.

By 2024 dos Santos's wins at Diamond League stops in Doha and Oslo set him up for another Olympic stint after his Bronze in Tokyo in 2021. In Paris, he won bronze again in the 400m hurdles, a sign that dos Santos would be a mainstay in th ...