Ofili Sisters are Rio Bound
6/25/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field, Olympics
» Sisters and U-M greats Tiffany (Ofili) Porter and Cindy Ofili punched their tickets to the Olympics in Rio with their second consecutive one-two finish in the 100-meter hurdles at the British Championships.
» For Tiffany, this will mark her second bid to the Summer Olympic Games to represent Team Great Britain, while the younger Ofili will make her first career Olympic appearance.
» These ladies are the first female track and field athletes with University of Michigan ties to ensure their place in this year's Olympic Games.
BIRMINGHAM, England -- University of Michigan women's track and field greats Tiffany (Ofili) Porter (2006-09) and Cindy Ofili (2013-16) competed at the British Championships on Saturday (June 25), running at Alexander Stadium with a bid to the Rio Olympics on the line. For the second year in a row, the pair claimed both gold and silver medals, and now, both athletes have earned their place on the British Olympic team.
The two sisters have been neck and neck in the occasional training sessions they share, and they finished just .02 seconds apart during today's race. Fresh off her final appearance in Maize and Blue, Cindy opened up the weekend with a run of 13.18 in the preliminary heat, winning her race outright out of lane three. Tiffany ran the field's fastest time in 13.03, also earning a clean prelims victory.
In the final, the sisters, who are separated by seven years, had only a couple of lanes between them. Tiffany ran out of lane three with an excellent start, and though Cindy had to play catch-up out of lane six, she showed her elite speed and closing ability over the final five hurdles and nearly caught her sister at the line.
The duo was a full length ahead of the field once Cindy passed Lucy Hatton (13.21) on her inside shoulder, and the pair crossed nearly in unison at 12.91 (Tiffany) and 12.93 (Cindy), respectively, to earn its second consecutive one-two finish at the British Championships.
Both athletes have now earned the right to represent Team Great Britain at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It will be Tiffany's second bid to represent the U.K. (London, 2012) while Cindy will compete on the Olympic stage for the first time. Tiffany, a pro since she ended her Michigan career in 2009, has plenty of international experience, while Cindy got her feet wet in international waters last year, winning her first British silver before joining her sister at the 2015 IAAF World Championships in Beijing, China.
Now, the pair will sport Union Jack proudly when the Olympic Games opening ceremonies begin on Aug. 5, 2016, at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Players Mentioned
