A track star from Fort Lauderdale is hoping to bring home the gold after punching her ticket to the Paris Olympics, and expressed her appreciation in front of local officials on Monday.
Aaliyah Butler will be competing in the women's 400-meter race after qualifying in June.
She got her start with the Lauderhill Cheetah Track Organization, and graduated from Miami Northwestern Senior High School in 2022.
Now, at 20 years old, the University of Georgia student will be competing on the biggest global stage.
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On Monday she expressed her appreciation during the Lauderhill Commission meeting, along with her proud father.
“It feels amazing, because I’ve been working really hard, and starting out with the Lauderhill cheetahs really pushed me to my limit and showed me like, what I can really do,” she said.
Her family is thrilled to see her chasing her dreams.
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“As a dad, I’m very proud of Aaliyah. I can sit here and go over the accolades that she has and accomplished, but with her, her dream was always, one, she wanted to go to Paris and she wanted to go to the Olympics,” her father said.
Her team is now asking the community for help funding her family's way to the Olympic Games. If you want to donate, her GoFundMe page is here.
