Rules to Live By
Inspired by our popular etiquette guide: New rules for behaving in polite society.
Anna Hall, the 24-year-old heptathlete, is putting her sport on the map. Since her Olympic debut last year in Paris, interest in heptathlon has increased (among other women’s sports like basketball and rugby), inspiring a new generation of young women and girls to pursue the multi-event sport. This is one of Hall’s greatest hopes for the future of heptathlon and sport in general: getting girls in and retaining them for the long haul.
Hall recently partnered with Adidas to launch a new, trend-friendly “bold lilac” colorway of its Optimé strength-tailored leggings and shorts. As part of the launch, Adidas premiered a short film that illuminates the “post-leg-day feeling” alongside fitness stars Issa Vasquez, Desi Luila, and Jaws Nelson.
After experiencing a significant injury at the Olympic trials in 2021 (she broke the navicular bone in her left foot during the 100-meter hurdles), Hall was back on the track the following year, claiming multiple titles, superseding her personal best, and even breaking the heptathlon collegiate record of 6390 points, previously held by her now-mentor and former Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
Hall has also recently built a following on TikTok, where she shows offs her athletic moments, goofs off in the Olympic villa, and gives an occasional peek into her relationship with Darius Slayton, wide receiver for the New York Giants.
In 2022, Hall officially turned professional, signing a multiyear contract with Adidas. At a recent training, she was wearing an Adidas jacket that was customized with her dog’s name (Cross) and her lucky number (seven). “There are seven events in the heptathlon,” she explains.
The interest in heptathlon is on the rise. What do you think people should know about your sport?
I think it’s a very underrated event. I’m biased, but I think people should know how grueling it is to train for all of those. People underestimate the time it takes. If you think about somebody training for the 100-meter hurdles at the Olympics, that’s a ton of time, and then you have to learn seven things — you’re just at the track all day. It’s like having a nine-to-five, because that’s how many hours a day I’m at the track.
What’s your No.1 Rule as a dog mom?
I make sure he has enough exercise to set him up for success. If I want him to behave or do something, I need to make it easy for him to do the right thing and learn what the right thing is instead of just expecting him to know when he’s wound up or something.
What’s the best advice that you’ve gotten from Jackie Joyner-Kersee?
To keep my joy. She said that one of her favorite things about me is that I look so happy and joyful when I compete in every event. With heptathletes, there’s usually an event that they don’t like as much, so I’ve worked really hard to hold onto that. I think it’s something that’s hard to do, but I didn’t realize that I was doing it until she pointed it out. That advice means a lot to me.
What’s a professional goal that you’d like to achieve?
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I’d like to see more young girls trying heptathlon and for young girls to stay in sport in general. For me, sport has been so powerful. It’s made me feel strong and confident, and I’ve learned so many great life lessons. I think girls sometimes tend to not stay in sports as long, or not into sports as much, or they might not have a lot of visibility in terms of role models. A big professional goal of mine is to change that.
No. 1 rule for cooling down postrace?
My No. 1 rule for cooling down would be that I need to go and see my family. I need to go see the people that we’re at the meet supporting me, so I would say a postrace hug.
No. 1 rule for choosing what to wear at a track meet?
Feeling confident. I think feeling good, looking good, and running well are very true. I think my most confident moments have been at track meets where I’ll pull out a different hairstyle I’ve never worn before to push myself out of my comfort zone. Trying to embody confidence in what you’re wearing and feel proud of it.
No. 1 date-night rule?
Something competitive has to happen. I just love playing games. So we’ll do dinner and then me and my boyfriend like to play Mario Kart or Nintendo tennis. Something that’s active.
What music do you listen to when you warm up?
I listen to a wide variety of things. The pop princesses — lots of Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter — all the TikTok songs. Then I’m also really into Ice Spice and Megan Thee Stallion, which are totally different brands, so I’m going with a little bit of everything. I guess it’s the “confident girl music.” What you listen to when you’re getting ready for a night out.
Walk me through your typical GRWM for a meet.
So for track meets, I’ll do a premeet four hours before the event. I “shake out,” and as soon as I get back from shake-out, I usually only have an hour before I’m leaving for the track, so it’s a little bit rushed. I’ll quickly do my hair; I’ve got music on the speaker, kind of dancing around. I usually make quite a few TikToks that usually end up in my drafts.
My coaches will actually ask me, “How many TikToks did we make?,” like, is it going to be a good day? So that’s how I stay loose. I try to have fun with it, I’ll dance, and if my sisters are there, I try to have them come up to my room, too. I do a full face of makeup, I do my hair. It feels like an entertainment performance, and that’s how I approach it.
What was the dynamic like growing up as one of four girls?
We fought so much growing up; it gave me thick skin. Now we’re all best friends, and it’s been amazing. I always say that my sisters are my biggest blessing. We talk on the phone every single day, and I can say that they have shaped me into who I am today. We keep each other humble and in check, so I appreciate that.
