Abi Oyepitan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Abi Oyepitan

Oyepitan at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	British
Born	(1979-12-30) 30 December 1979 (age 45) London, England
Sport
Sport	Women's athletics
Event(s)	100 metres, 200 metres
Medal record Representing  England Commonwealth Games Gold 2010 Delhi 4×100 m relay Silver 2010 Delhi 200 m Bronze 2002 Manchester 4×100 m relay Representing  Great Britain Universiade Gold 2001 Beijing 100 m

Abi Oyepitan, born on December 30, 1979, is a British athlete. She is known for her fast running in sprint races like the 100 and 200 metres.

Abi won a gold medal in the 100-metre race at the 2001 World Student Games. She also earned a bronze medal with her team in the 4 × 100 metre relay at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. She became one of Britain's top female sprinters. She was the first British woman since Kathy Cook to reach an Olympic sprint final. After the 2004 Athens Olympics, she got an injury that stopped her from competing for a while.

She made a great comeback in 2010. She competed in the Diamond League and won a silver medal for England at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in the 200-metre race. She also helped her team win a gold medal in the 4 × 100 metre relay.

Abi's Early Career

Abi Oyepitan was born in Westminster, London. Her parents are from Nigeria. Her name "Adesola" means "crowned with wealth" in the Yoruba language. She went to Bentley Wood High School.

Abi runs for the Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers athletics club. Her first big competition was the 1998 World Junior Athletics Championships. There, she finished fourth with the British 4 × 100 metre relay team. She kept doing well as a junior athlete. However, an injury in 2000 slowed her down. She bounced back the next year, winning a silver medal at the European Under-23 Championships.

She was also part of the 4 × 100 metre relay team at the 2001 World Championships. Even though they did not win a medal, they ran the second fastest time ever for a British team. That same year, she won a gold medal at the World Student Games.

In 2002, Abi reached the final of the 100-metre race at the Commonwealth Games. She did even better in the relay, winning a bronze medal behind Australia. She also made it to the final of the European Athletics Championships.

She kept getting better. In 2003, she set a new personal best in the 200-metre race. She also won her first national senior title. In May 2004, at a competition in Kalamata, Greece, Abi won the 100-metre race. She then beat the European Champion, Muriel Hurtis, in the 200-metre race.

2004 Athens Olympics

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Abi Oyepitan did not make the 100-metre final. She finished fifth in her semi-final race.

In the 200-metre race, Abi set a new personal best in the first round. She then easily moved through the next rounds and the semi-final. She finished second in both to Allyson Felix. In the final, she finished joint seventh. She was happy with her overall performance.

Her reaching the 200-metre final was a big deal. She was the first British woman to reach an Olympic sprint final (100 or 200 metres) since Kathy Smallwood-Cook at the Los Angeles Olympics twenty years before. She was also the only British sprinter to reach a final at those Olympics.

After 2004: Injuries and Comeback

After the 2004 Olympics, Abi got a stress fracture injury. This made her miss the entire 2005 athletics season. She returned to the track in 2006, but the injury still affected her performance.

In 2010, she made a strong comeback. She won a silver medal in the 200-metre race. She also won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 metre relay at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

2012 London Olympics

In 2012, Abi Oyepitan finished second in the 200-metre race at the Oslo leg of the Diamond League. Her time was 22.71 seconds. She then qualified for the 2012 Olympics in London. She competed in both the 100-metre and 200-metre races. She reached the semi-finals in both events.

In 2014, Abi announced that she was retiring from athletics.

National Titles

Abi Oyepitan has won several national titles in her career:

• AAAs (of England) National 100 metres Champion – 2004 (She was also second in 2002 and 2003)
• AAAs National 200 metres Champion – 2003 (She was also second in 2004)

International Competitions

Here are some of Abi Oyepitan's results in major international competitions:

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Great Britain
1998	World Junior Championships	Annecy, France	4th	4 × 100 m relay	44.65
1999	European U23 Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	18th (h)	100m	25.00
2001	World Student Games	Beijing, China	1st	100 m	11.42
	European U23 Championships	Amsterdam, Netherlands	2nd	100m	11.58
			1st	4 × 100 m relay	44.31
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	semi-final	100 m	11.18
			7th	200 m	22.87
2012	Olympic Games	London, England	semi-final	100 m	11.36
			semi-final	200 m	23.14
Representing  England
2002	Commonwealth Games	Manchester, England	3rd	4×100 m relay	42.84
2010	Commonwealth Games	Delhi, India	2nd	200 m	23.26
			1st	4×100 m relay	44.19

Personal Bests

These are Abi Oyepitan's fastest times in different races: