Abi Oyepitan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Abi Oyepitan

Oyepitan at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	British (English)
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 is a British athlete who is really fast! She is a sprint runner, which means she races in short distances like 100 metres and 200 metres.

Abi won a gold medal in the 100 metres at the 2001 Summer Universiade, which is a big sports event for university students. She also earned a bronze medal with her team in the 4 × 100 metres relay at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

She made history by being the first British woman in a long time to reach an Olympic sprint final. After the 2004 Summer Olympics, she had an injury that stopped her from competing for a while. But she made an amazing comeback in 2010! She won a silver medal in the 200 metres and a gold medal with her relay team at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.

Abi's Early Career

Abi Oyepitan was born in London, England. Her parents are from Nigeria. Her middle name, "Adesola," means "crowned with wealth" in the Yoruba language.

She went to Bentley Wood High School and was part of the Shaftesbury Barnet Harriers running club. Her first big competition was the 1998 World Junior Athletics Championships. There, she finished fourth with the British 4 × 100 metres relay team.

Abi kept doing well as a junior athlete. In 2000, an injury slowed her down, but she bounced back the next year. She won a silver medal at the European Under-23 Championships.

Team Success and Medals

In 2001, Abi was part of the 4 × 100 metres relay team at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics. Even though they didn't win a medal, they ran the second-fastest time ever for a British team. Later that year, she won a gold medal at the World Student Games.

In 2002, Abi represented England at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. She reached the final of the 100 metres race. In the relay, her team won a silver medal, coming in second to Australia. She also made it to the final of the European Athletics Championships.

Abi continued to get better. In 2003, she became the British 200 metres champion, setting a new personal best time. The next year, she won the British 100 metres title.

Competing at the 2004 Athens Olympics

The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens was a huge event for Abi. In the 100 metres race, she didn't make it to the final. She ran a good time, but it wasn't quite fast enough to qualify.

However, in the 200 metres race, Abi did incredibly well! She set a new personal best time in the first round. She then easily moved through the next rounds and the semi-final.

In the 200 metres final, Abi finished in seventh place. She was very happy with her performance overall. Her reaching the 200 metres final was a big deal. She was the first British woman to be in an Olympic sprint final (100 or 200 metres) in 20 years!

After the 2004 Olympics

After the Olympics, Abi had a stress fracture injury. This meant she missed the entire 2005 athletics season. She tried to come back in 2006, but the injury still affected her running.

In 2010, she made a fantastic return to the sport. At the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, she won a silver medal in the 200 metres. She also helped her team win a gold medal in the 4 × 100 metres relay race.

2012 London Olympics

In 2012, Abi competed in the Diamond League in Oslo, finishing second in the 200 metres. She then qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics in her home city of London!

At the London Olympics, she competed in both the 100 metres and 200 metres races. She reached the semi-finals in both events, which is a great achievement.

Abi Oyepitan announced her retirement from athletics in 2014.

National Titles and Best Times

Abi Oyepitan won several important titles in her career.

• She was the British 100 metres champion in 2004.
• She was the British 200 metres champion in 2003.

Abi's Fastest Times

Here are Abi's personal best times in her main events:

Images for kids

• 

  Oyepitan at the 2012 Summer Olympics