Tiffany Porter

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Tiffany Porter

| image = Tiffany Porter Portland 2016.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Porter at the 2016 European Indoor Championships

| birth_name = Tiffany Adaeze Ofili

| nationality = British, American

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1987|11|13}}{{cite web|title=Tiffany Porter|url=http://www.teamgb.com/athletes/tiffany-porter|website=teamgb.com|publisher=British Olympic Association|access-date=2 June 2015}}

| birth_place = Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States{{cite news |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/857053-on-the-spot-tiffany-ofili |title=Tiffany Ofili: 'Representing UK, not USA, always at the back of my mind' |access-date=3 September 2011 |author=Matthew Nash |date=2 March 2011|publisher=Associated Newspapers|work=Metro|location=UK}}

| height = 175 cm

| weight = 68 kg

| website =

| country = United Kingdom
United States

| sport = Track and field

| event = 60 metres hurdles
100 metres hurdles
200 metres
Long jump

| collegeteam = University of Michigan

| club = Birchfield Harriers
Woodford Green with Essex Ladies

| team = GB

| turnedpro = 2009

| coach = Rana Reider{{cite web |url=http://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=279927 |title=Athlete Profile |access-date=3 June 2013 |publisher=Power of 10}}

| retired = 2022

| coaching =

| worlds =

| regionals =

| nationals = British Team Trials 2012/2016

| olympics = Rio 2016

| paralympics =

| highestranking =

| pb = 60m hurdles: 7.80 NR (2011){{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/9415349.stm |title=GB's Tiffany Ofili wins European indoor hurdles silver |access-date=3 September 2011 |date=4 March 2011 |publisher=BBC Sport}}
100m hurdles: 12.51 (2014)
Long jump: 6.48m (2009)

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCount

| World Championships | 0 | 0 | 1

| World Indoor Championships | 0 | 1 | 2

| Continental Cup | 0 | 1 | 0

| European Championships | 1 | 0 | 1

| European Indoor Championships | 0 | 1 | 1

| Commonwealth Games | 0 | 1 | 0

| NACAC Championships | 0 | 1 | 0

| World Junior Championships | 0 | 0 | 1

| NACAC U-23 Championships | 1 | 0 | 0

|Total|2|5|5

}}

{{Medal|Country|{{GBR2}}}}

{{Medal|Country|{{ENG}}}}

{{Medal|Country|{{USA}}}}

}}

Tiffany Adaeze Porter ({{nee}} Ofili; born 13 November 1987) is a track and field athlete with joint British and American nationality who specialises in the 100 metres hurdles. She represented the United States as a junior, but began representing Great Britain in 2010 on joining the senior ranks after moving to England and competed for Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.[https://www.standard.co.uk/olympics/athletics/london-2012-olympics-ten-essential-facts-abouttiffany-porter-8015482.html "Ten Essential Facts about...Tiffany Porter"], London Evening Standard, 7 August 2012

Porter won a bronze medal in the 100 m hurdles at the 2013 World Championships. In 2014, she won a silver medal representing England at the Commonwealth Games. Later in 2014 she took her first major title, a gold medal at the European Championships, becoming the first British woman to win a European title in the event. Her personal best of 12.51 set in 2014 was the British record until 2022 when it was broken by Cindy Sember. She is also a two-time medallist over 60 m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships.

She is the sister of Cindy Sember, another elite-level sprint hurdler with dual British and American nationality; Sember, too, chose to represent Great Britain internationally. Unlike Porter, Sember had never represented the United States as a junior. Both sisters made the final of the 100 metre hurdles at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Early life

Tiffany Porter's father Felix is Nigerian, her mother Lalana is British of African descent. Porter was born in the United States. She has held both American and British nationality since her birth. She has therefore been eligible to represent both the United States and Great Britain. She describes herself as "proud to be American, British and Nigerian".[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/may/28/tiffany-porter-american-british-olympics Tiffany Porter: I am proud to be American, British and Nigerian], The Guardian, 28 May 2012

NCAA

Tiffany (Ofili) Porter (2006–09) is a five-time NCAA national champion and All-America selection during Hall of Fame University of Michigan Wolverines women's track and field career.[https://pharmacy.umich.edu/tiffany-porter-inducted-u-m-hall-fame Tiffany Porter Inducted into U-M Hall of Fame] Michigan Wolverines Ofili won three straight national crowns (2007-09) in the 100-meter hurdles.[https://tiffofili.com/biography/ Biography] TiffOfili.com

Athletics career

As an American athlete, Porter represented the United States at the inaugural NACAC Championships winning a silver medal. However, at the end of the 2010 season, she changed her allegiance to Great Britain. Commenting on her switch, she said: "I knew I was going to perform no matter what vest I had on. I have always regarded myself as British, American and Nigerian. I'm all three."{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/more-sport/2011/03/05/tiffany-ofili-smashes-record-held-by-jess-ennis-to-take-european-silver-115875-22967929/ |title=Tiffany Ofili smashes record held by Jess Ennis to take European silver |access-date=3 September 2011 |date=5 March 2011 |author=Alex Sphinx |work=Daily Mirror}}

On 29 May 2011, at the Fanny Blankers-Koen Games, Porter broke Angie Thorp's 15-year-old British record of 12.80s in the 100m Hurdles with a run of 12.77s. Thorp said that she was "devastated" at losing her record to an American-born athlete. Thorp said that she would have congratulated an established British athlete who took her record; at the time Jessica Ennis and Sarah Claxton both had personal bests of 12.81s.{{cite web |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/magazine/what-does-the-flag-mean-nationalism-and-the-olympics/ |title=What Does the Flag Mean: Nationalism and the Olympics |access-date=9 March 2021 |date=29 November 2012 |author=Gare Joyce |publisher=Sportsnet}}

Porter lowered her British record on 22 July 2011, with a time of 12.60s at the Diamond League meeting in Monaco, breaking her previous personal best of 12.73s (set when she was still a US athlete). Her record was broken on 3 August 2012 by Jessica Ennis in the London Olympics heptathlon achieving 12.54s.{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/14257692 |title=Mo Farah and Tiffany Ofili-Porter set records in Monaco |access-date=10 June 2012 |date=22 July 2012 |publisher=BBC Sport}} In September 2011 she was nominated for "European Athlete of the Year".{{cite news|title=Williams is Rising Star|url=http://www.uka.org.uk/media/news/september-2011/30-09-11-ea-rising-star/|publisher=uka.org.uk|date=30 September 2012|access-date=19 September 2012}} In October 800m runner Mariya Savinova was announced as the winner.{{cite news|title=Russia's Savinova voted 2011 European Athlete of the Year|url=http://www.european-athletics.org/news/latest-news/374-events-2011/european-athletics-awards-night-/10425-russias-savinova-voted-2011-european-athlete-of-the-year.html|publisher=european-athletics.org|date=3 October 2011|access-date=17 September 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019144957/http://www.european-athletics.org/news/latest-news/374-events-2011/european-athletics-awards-night-/10425-russias-savinova-voted-2011-european-athlete-of-the-year.html|archive-date=19 October 2013}}

UK Athletics head coach, Charles van Commenee gave Porter the responsibility of the team captaincy ahead of the 2012 World Indoor Championships in March;{{cite news|title=Van Commenee defends handing GB captaincy to US-born Porter|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/17303331|publisher=BBC|date=8 March 2012|access-date=19 September 2012}} she was subsequently labelled a "Plastic Brit" after refusing (or being unable) to recite the words of the British national anthem in a press conference.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/mar/08/tiffany-porter-national-anthem|title=Tiffany Porter frustrates knavish tricks over national anthem knowledge|work=The Guardian|date=8 March 2012 |location=London|accessdate=18 July 2024 |last1=Bull |first1=Andy }}

In 2012 Porter was nominated for "European Athlete of the Month" twice. In March she was nominated along with fellow Brits Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Yamile Aldama.{{cite news|title=vote for european athlete of the month for march|url=http://www.uka.org.uk/media/news/april-2012/03-04-12-euro-athlete-of-the-month/|publisher=uka.org.uk|access-date=16 September 2012}} She was nominated again in May, this time with Hannah England and eventual winner Jessica Ennis.{{cite news|title=vote in athlete of the month for may|url=http://www.uka.org.uk/media/news/june-2012/06-06-12-athlete-of-the-month/|publisher=uka.org.uk|date=6 June 2012|access-date=16 September 2012}}

In 2013 Porter switched coaches from James Henry to Rana Reider, and moved to Loughborough to train with Reider's group at Loughborough University's High Performance Centre.{{cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/sport-comment/tiffany-porter-it-felt-like-the-first-day-at-a-new-school-but-im-glad-i-made-the-move-8667918.html |title=Tiffany Porter: It felt like the first day at a new school but I'm glad I made the move |last1=Porter |first1=Tiffany |date=21 June 2013 |website=London Evening Standard |access-date=8 March 2014}} At the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, she won a bronze medal in the 100 m Hurdles in a personal best time of 12.55 seconds, just one hundredth of a second off Jessica Ennis' British record of 12.54.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/aug/17/britain-4x400m-women-tiffany-porter-bronze|title=Britain's 4x400m women and hurdler Tiffany Porter win bronze medals|work=The Guardian|date=17 August 2013 |location=London|accessdate=18 July 2024 |last1=Ingle |first1=Sean }}

Porter began 2014 by winning a bronze medal in the 60 m hurdles at the World Indoor Championships.{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/event-news/richard-kilty-world-indoor-gold-sopot-1378/|title=Richard Kilty sprints to World Indoor gold in Sopot|date=8 March 2014 |publisher=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=18 July 2024}} Then in August, she ran 12.80 to win a silver medal in the 100 m hurdles at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, behind Sally Pearson of Australia.{{cite web|url=https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/central-queensland/sally-pearson-takes-glasgow-gold-in-the-100m-hurdles-final/news-story/0d3f9ddffdf7f99fa3fe9d8ebaf815db|title=Sally Pearson takes Glasgow gold in the 100m hurdles final|work=Courier Mail|accessdate=18 July 2024}} Two weeks later, she won the European Championships in Zurich, with a time of 12.76.{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/featured/tiffany-porter-breaks-uk-100m-hurdles-record-iaaf-continental-cup-12146/|title=Tiffany Porter breaks UK 100m hurdles record at IAAF Continental Cup|date=14 September 2014 |publisher=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=18 July 2024}} In September 2014, at the IAAF Continental Cup, she broke the UK record with a time of 12.51 secs, finishing behind Dawn Harper-Nelson of the US.

Porter won bronze at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland, Oregon{{cite web|url=https://athleticsweekly.com/featured/tiffany-porter-looking-to-build-on-portland-bronze-40625/|title=Tiffany Porter now looks to build on Portland bronze|date=19 March 2016 |publisher=Athletics Weekly|accessdate=18 July 2024}} and was seveneth at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.{{cite web|url=https://eu.detroitnews.com/story/sports/columnists/john-niyo/2016/08/17/ypsilantis-ofili-sisters-short-medals/88932854/|title=Michigan's Ofili sisters finish memorable Olympic journey|publisher=Detroit News|accessdate=18 July 2024}}

She took time away from athletics to have a child in 2019.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/57259631|title=Tokyo Olympics: Hurdling sisters Tiffany Porter and Cindy Sember chasing the ultimate comeback prize|date=2 June 2021 |publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=18 July 2024}} On her return to the track she won a bronze medal at the 2021 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland.{{cite web|url=https://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/sport/21175199.woodford-green-sisters-tiffany-porter-cindy-sember-bag-medals-indoor-championships/|title=Woodford Green sisters Tiffany Porter and Cindy Sember bag medals Indoor Championships|date=8 March 2021 |publisher=Ilford Recorder|accessdate=18 July 2024}} At the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Porter finished fifth in her semi-final and therefore failed to make the final.{{cite web|url=https://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/sport/21170938.woodford-greens-tiffany-porter-retire-failing-reach-olympics-final/|title=Woodford Green's Tiffany Porter could retire after failing to reach Olympics final|date=3 August 2021 |publisher=Ilford Recorder|accessdate=18 July 2024}} She retired from athletics in February 2022.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/60274425|title=Tiffany Porter: Great Britain's 60m & 100m hurdles record holder retires|date=5 February 2022 |publisher=BBC Sport|accessdate=18 July 2024}}{{cite web|url=https://worldathletics.org/news/news/tiffany-porter-hurdles-retirement|title=Multiple world medalist Porter retires|publisher=World Athletics|accessdate=18 July 2024}}

Personal life

Porter is the older sister of the hurdler Cindy Ofili, who also competes for Great Britain.

Porter married American hurdler Jeff Porter in May 2011,{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/proctor-adds-caribbean-flavour-to-lift-british-medal-prospects-2294225.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/proctor-adds-caribbean-flavour-to-lift-british-medal-prospects-2294225.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Proctor adds Caribbean flavour to lift British medal prospects |access-date=9 June 2012 |date=8 June 2011 |work=The Independent|location=London}}{{cbignore}} and began to compete under her married name in July 2011, initially as Tiffany Ofili-Porter, then simply as Tiffany Porter.{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/tiffany-porter-set-to-silence-critics-by-being-plastic-fantastic-2331239.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/tiffany-porter-set-to-silence-critics-by-being-plastic-fantastic-2331239.html |archive-date=7 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Tiffany Porter: Set to silence critics by being plastic fantastic |access-date=9 June 2012 |date=4 August 2011 |work=The Independent|location=London}}{{cbignore}} She graduated from the University of Michigan with a PhD in pharmacology in 2012.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/may/28/tiffany-porter-american-british-olympics |title=Tiffany Porter: I am proud to be American, British and Nigerian |access-date=10 June 2012 |date=28 May 2012 |work=The Guardian|location=London}}

She is Catholic.{{Cite web |last=Ofili Porter |first=Tiffany |date=2023-11-22 |title=Three Takeaways From My Son's Baptism |url=https://tiffofili.com/2023/11/22/three-takeaways-from-my-sons-baptism/ |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=Dr. Tiffany Ofili Porter}}

International competitions

{{AchievementTable\|Event=yes}}
colspan="6"\|Representing the {{USA}}
2006 \|World Junior Championships \|Beijing, China \| style="background:#c96;"\| 3rd \|100 m hurdles \|13.37 (0.0 m/s)
2007 \|NACAC Championships \|San Salvador, El Salvador \| style="background:silver;"\| 2nd \|100 m hurdles \|13.27
2008 \|NACAC U-23 Championships \|Toluca, México \|bgcolor=gold\|1st \|100m hurdles \|12.82 (-0.6 m/s) A
colspan="6"\|Representing {{GBR2}} / {{ENG}}
rowspan=3\|2011 \|European Indoor Championships \|Paris, France \| style="background:silver;"\| 2nd \|60 m hurdles \|7.80
rowspan=2\|World Championships \|rowspan=2\|Daegu, South Korea \|4th \|100 m hurdles \|12.63
heats \|4 × 100 m relay \|43.95
rowspan=2\|2012 \|World Indoor Championships \|Istanbul, Turkey \| style="background:silver;"\| 2nd \|60 m hurdles \|7.94
Olympic Games \|London, United Kingdom \|semi-final \|100 m hurdles \|12.79
2013 \|World Championships \|Moscow, Russia \| style="background:#c96;"\|3rd \|100 m hurdles \|12.55
rowspan=4\|2014 \|World Indoor Championships \|Sopot, Poland \|bgcolor="cc9966"\| 3rd \|60 m hurdles \|7.86
Commonwealth Games \|Glasgow, Scotland \|bgcolor="silver"\| 2nd \|100 m hurdles \|12.80
European Championships \|Zürich, Switzerland \|bgcolor="gold"\| 1st \|100 m hurdles \|12.76
Continental Cup \|Marrakesh, Morocco \|bgcolor="silver"\| 2nd \|100 m hurdles \|12.51
2015 \|World Championships \|Beijing, China \|5th \|100 m hurdles \|12.68
rowspan=3\|2016 \|World Indoor Championships \|Portland, United States \|bgcolor=cc9966\|3rd \|60 m hurdles \|7.90
European Championships \|Amsterdam, Netherlands \|bgcolor=cc9966\|3rd \|100 m hurdles \|12.76
Olympic Games \|Rio de Janeiro, Brazil \|7th \|100 m hurdles \|12.76
2017 \|World Championships \|London, United Kingdom \|29th (h) \|100 m hurdles \|13.18
2018 \|Commonwealth Games \|Gold Coast, Australia \|6th \|100 m hurdles \|13.12
rowspan=2\|2021 \|European Indoor Championships \|Torun, Poland \|bgcolor="cc9966"\| 3rd \|60 m hurdles \|7.92
Olympic Games \|Tokyo, Japan \|18th (sf) \|100 m hurdles \|12.86

colspan="6"|Representing the {{USA}}

2006

|World Junior Championships

|Beijing, China

| style="background:#c96;"| 3rd

|100 m hurdles

|13.37 (0.0 m/s)

2007

|NACAC Championships

|San Salvador, El Salvador

| style="background:silver;"| 2nd

|100 m hurdles