The 2024 Paris Olympics are a special occasion for track and field stars Jasmine Moore and Joseph Fahnbulleh. Their love story, which began three years ago in Tokyo, continues to flourish as they both aim for Olympic glory. Moore, 23, and Fahnbulleh, both elite athletes, met in the heart of the Olympic Village during the 2021 Tokyo Games, kindling a romance that has only grown stronger with time.
In Tokyo, Moore, competing for Team USA, didn’t secure a medal, but she left with something far more valuable: a relationship with Liberian sprinter Joseph Fahnbulleh. Now, three years later, they are back on the world’s biggest stage in Paris, both with hopes of winning gold.
“Our finals are on the same night for long jump and the 200 meters. So I’m like, ‘Lord, please, let’s just both get medals that day!’” Moore shared with People. “Hopefully all of our families can just party and go to dinner and stuff like that.”
Moore, competing in the women’s long jump and triple jump, is set to take to the track on Friday, August 2, at Stade de France for the triple jump qualifications. In June, she made history by becoming the first American woman to qualify for both events at the Olympics. A medal in the triple jump would make her the first American woman ever to achieve such a feat.
The couple’s story began when Moore, then transferring from the University of Georgia to the University of Florida, met Fahnbulleh in Tokyo. “We knew of each other because track’s a small world. I was like, ‘Okay, I know that he goes to Florida, and I’m going there, and I know no one else here,’” Moore recalls. “We hung out in Tokyo the whole time, and then when I got to Florida, we hung out. And now we’re dating.”
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Moore will be cheering for Team Liberia during Fahnbulleh’s event, while rooting for Team USA in all other competitions. “It’s been fun. I feel like our conversations lately have been super dry, because we don’t want to stress each other out,” she admits. “We’re like, ‘Are you okay? Are you good?’ But he understands it, and we talk about it. I get to see his progression as an athlete, as a person, and as a sprinter. Obviously jumping is different, so I get to see the things that he has to do differently to prepare.”
A native of Texas, Moore didn’t initially see herself pursuing a career in track and field. It wasn’t until middle school that she discovered her talent for jumping. “I hated it. I remember my first practice, it was on my birthday, and I left,” she says. “I called my grandparents to snitch on my mom and dad for making me run in the Texas heat. I thought it was horrible.”
Despite the challenges in Tokyo, Moore attributes those struggles to the upheaval in her life as she was transferring schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Reflecting on her experience, she says, “I was simply happy to be there, but now I’m hungry for more.”
Moore is excited to share this Olympic journey with her family, who are experiencing the Games for the first time. “I’m super close to my parents. They know that I do track and I do good at it, but not all of them get to watch me all the time. So I’m like, ‘I’m kind of good! I made it to the Olympics!’ To have them all here, I’m just really excited.”
This year, Moore fully embraced the opening ceremony, even capturing a photo with LeBron James. She has also been enjoying the Olympic Village’s pin-trading tradition, proudly displaying her collection. Despite facing mental and physical challenges, Moore remains determined, relying on her faith and family for support.
“There have been a lot of times this year where I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’ It’s a lot, mentally and physically . . . I just felt really defeated a couple weeks ago. With track, it’s like stats. So if I don’t see the magic number, then I get sometimes really in my head,” she says. “[But] I’m just very thankful to be doing both my events, and I just want to compete to the best of my ability and really give it all.”
As Moore and Fahnbulleh compete in Paris, their story is a testament to the power of love and resilience, inspiring fans around the world.
