Cindy Ofili

Cindy Ofili at 2015 World Championships in Athletics.

Cindy Ofili (born 5 August 1994, Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA) is a British track and field athlete. In 2015, she placed second in the women's 100 m hurdles at both the NCAA championships and British championships, qualifying to represent Great Britain at the World Championships.

Biography

Ofili is a native of Ypsilanti, Michigan, and the younger sister of fellow hurdler Tiffany Porter (née Ofili); as her mother is British, she was born with both American and British citizenship.[1][2] In 2014, her sophomore year at the University of Michigan, Ofili qualified for the 60 m hurdles final at the NCAA indoor championships, placing sixth in a personal best 8.07; outdoors, she broke 13 seconds in the 100 m hurdles for the first time, winning the Big Ten conference championship in 12.93.[3] In addition to hurdling, she competed in the sprints, setting Michigan indoor school records at both 60 metres (7.37) and 200 metres (23.69).[4]

Ofili's times improved in 2015, and she became a leading collegiate hurdler;[5] at the NCAA outdoor championships in Eugene she placed second in a personal best 12.60, losing only to Keni Harrison of Kentucky.[6] She also qualified for the NCAA championship meet in the flat 100 m, but despite running a school record 11.39 she was eliminated in the semi-finals in that event.[3][4]

Ofili could have chosen to internationally represent either the United States, Great Britain or Nigeria (her father's country of origin); in June 2015 it was announced that she had selected Britain, following her older sister Tiffany Porter.[1] The move caused some controversy in Britain, with detractors labeling Ofili a "plastic Brit"; Ofili stated she felt British.[7][8] At the 2015 British championships Ofili placed second to Porter in 12.96, qualifying to represent Britain later that summer at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.[2][9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Cindy Ofili and Zharnel Hughes have GB allegiance confirmed". Athletics Weekly. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Tiffany Porter and Cindy Ofili secure GB places at world championships". The Guardian. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 Tilastopaja profile for Cindy Ofili
  4. 1 2 "Cindy Ofili Bio". mgoblue.com. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  5. ↑ Jennings, Chantel (10 June 2015). "Michigan Hurdler Cindy Ofili Emerges From Her Star Sister's Shadow". ESPN. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  6. ↑ Minshull, Phil (14 June 2015). "Little wins NCAA 400m hurdles in world-leading 53.74". International Association of Athletics Federations. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Kelner, Martha (23 June 2015). "Zharnel Hughes and Cindy Ofili among five athletes to switch allegiance to Great Britain as 'Plastic Brits' row rears its head again". Daily Mail. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  8. ↑ Bloom, Ben (2 July 2015). "Cindy Ofili insists she feels British despite being US-born". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  9. ↑ "Ennis-Hill named in British team for IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015". International Association of Athletics Federations. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.

External links

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