Britain&rsquo;s Tiffany Porter, who claimed four world medals and a European title during her successful hurdles career, has retired from competitive athletics.
The 34-year-old, holder of the British 60m hurdles and 100m hurdles records, announced her retirement on Saturday (5) and added that she was excited for the next chapter, which begins with her leading the on-field presentations of athletes at this weekend&rsquo;s <a href="https://worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-indoor-tour/news/holloway-staten-island-new-balance-indoor-grand-prix" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Balance Indoor Grand Prix</a>, a World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold meeting.
Having discovered her sprint ability while at school, Porter was later introduced to the hurdles and her performances earned her a scholarship to the University of Michigan. While there, Porter &ndash; then competing under her maiden name of Ofili &ndash; claimed five consecutive NCAA titles and bronze in the 100m hurdles at the 2006 World U20 Championships in Beijing.
&ldquo;In elementary school I always looked forward to field day because it was an opportunity for us to meet on a &lsquo;grand scale&rsquo;," reflected Porter in her &lsquo;love letter to track and field&rsquo;, published to coincide with her retirement.&nbsp;
"I would race (and beat) all the other boys and girls my age, and then be rewarded with ice cream after. That&rsquo;s when I learned that I had a deep love for competing and the adrenaline rush was addictive."
Her 12-year professional career would see her go on to win three world indoor 60m hurdles medals &ndash; claiming silver in Istanbul in 2012 and bronze in both Sopot in 2014 and Portland in 2016 &ndash; as well as 100m hurdles bronze at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow.
Porter became the European 100m hurdles champion in 2014, adding a bronze to her collection in Amsterdam in 2016. Her two European indoor medals were claimed a decade apart &ndash; her silver secured in Paris in 2011 and her bronze achieved in Torun last year. 
<img src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/61feb9aab8317ce6e1d8bb3e.jpg" alt="" width="100%" />
 A three-time Olympian, Porter reached the semifinals on her debut in London in 2012 and placed seventh in the final in Rio four years later. She and her husband Jeff &ndash; a fellow Olympian and coach to Porter in the latter stages of her career &ndash; welcomed the arrival of their daughter Chidera in 2019 and Porter returned to the sport to qualify for her third Olympic Games in Tokyo, where she made the semifinals.
&ldquo;I competed in my third and final Olympic Games in August 2021,&rdquo; Porter wrote. &ldquo;That feat was the culmination of countless hours of work, sacrifice, dedication, perseverance, and heart. Attending the Tokyo Olympic Games, this time knowing my child was watching, is a moment that I will never forget.&rdquo;
Porter ran her British 60m hurdles record of 7.80 when claiming her European indoor silver in 2011 and her national 100m hurdles record of 12.51 in 2014. That same year she claimed Commonwealth Games silver in Glasgow.
Porter also worked as a pharmacist alongside her athletics career, having earned her doctorate in pharmacy while at the University of Michigan.
World Athletics

British hurdler Tiffany Porter has announced her retirement from athletics.

Multiple world medallist Porter retires

Tori Bowie provided the highlight of the second day of the Adidas Boost Boston Games when she flew down the temporary track on Charles Street to win the women&rsquo;s 100m in 11.03 on Saturday (18).
Despite a sluggish start &ndash; her reaction time of 0.162 was the slowest in the field &ndash; the world bronze medallist was quickly into her stride and a convincing winner, with Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Kelly-Ann Baptiste a distant second in 11.30.
&ldquo;The time doesn&rsquo;t show what sort of shape I&rsquo;m in right now, I feel like I&rsquo;m in 10.7-shape,&rdquo; quipped Bowie, who is the second-fastest woman in the world this year after she equalled her personal best of 10.80 when winning at the opening IAAF Diamond League meeting of the summer in Doha last month.
The men&rsquo;s 100m was, relatively speaking, nothing like as fast although it did provide an entertaining race and an upset. USA&rsquo;s Marvin Bracy beat Jamaica&rsquo;s 2011 world champion Yohan Blake by just 0.002, with both men being given the same time of 10.23.
The rather bouncy temporary track led to comparatively slow times but there were still confidence-boosting wins over the barriers for Great Britain&rsquo;s Tiffany Porter and USA&rsquo;s Ronnie Ash, watched by crowds two and three deep at what was billed to be the USA's first 'street meet'.
Porter triumphed in 12.94 and defeated USA&rsquo;s Sharika Nelvis, the fastest woman in the world last year, and Jamaica&rsquo;s world champion Danielle Williams, the pair finishing second and third in 12.98 and 12.99 respectively.
Ash won in 13.39, a modest time on the clock for a man who can boast of a personal best under 13 seconds, but he beat Orlando Ortega, another sub-13 performer, into second place with the Spaniard 0.02 in arrears.
Katie Nageotte won the pole vault with 4.50m in the absence of Olympic champion&nbsp;Jenn Suhr, who warmed up but then withdrew as she did not want to aggravate the calf and achilles problems she has suffered from in the past six weeks.
Phil Minshull for the IAAF

Tori Bowie provided the highlight of the second day of the Adidas Boost Boston Games when she flew down the temporary track on Charles Street to win the women’s 100m in 11.03 on Saturday (18).

Bowie a big hit on the second day in Boston

World long jump silver medallist Shara Proctor is one of five global championship medallists to have been named on the British team for the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016.
Olympic high jump bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz, European sprint hurdles champion Tiffany Porter, world junior 100m champion Dina Asher-Smith and world junior heptathlon champion Morgan Lake are among the other athletes who will represent Britain in Portland on 17-20 March.
Porter and Proctor will be looking to complete their collection of global medals. Porter took bronze in the 60m hurdles at the 2012 and 2014 World Indoor Championships, while Proctor earned long jump bronze at the 2012 World Indoor Championships and silver at the 2015 World Championships.
British Athletics has also accepted the IAAF&rsquo;s invite for Morgan Lake to compete in the pentathlon. At just 18 years old, Lake is the youngest member of the team and will be looking forward to returning to competition in the USA, where she won two world junior titles in 2014.
The team contains a number of newly crowned British indoor champions who will be making their global championship debut, including high jumper Chris Baker and 800m runner Adelle Tracey.
&ldquo;This is a team that has been selected on the basis that every athlete can realistically make their final, but also with an eye on their individual development looking towards the Olympics this year and the IAAF World Championships London 2017,&rdquo; said British Athletics performance director Neil Black.
&ldquo;There have been some excellent performances during the indoor season and we are confident that many of those selected will be challenging for medals.&rdquo;
<h3>British team for Portland (updated 11 March)</h3>
MEN 60m: James Dasaolu, Andrew Robertson 1500m: Charlie Grice, Chris O&rsquo;Hare 3000m: Lee Emanuel, Tom Farrell 60m hurdles: Lawrence Clarke High jump: Chris Baker, Robbie Grabarz Long jump: Dan Bramble
WOMEN 60m: Dina Asher-Smith, Asha Philip 800m: Lynsey Sharp, Adelle Tracey 3000m: Josephine Moultrie, Steph Twell 60m hurdles: Tiffany Porter, Serita Solomon High jump: Isobel Pooley Long jump: Shara Proctor, Jazmin Sawyers, Lorraine Ugen Pentathlon: Morgan Lake

World long jump silver medallist Shara Proctor is one of five global championship medallists to have been named on the British team for the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016.

Five global medallists feature on Britain’s team for Portland

Six more athletes clinched automatic selection for the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 on the second day of the British Indoor Championships in Sheffield, perhaps the most surprising being Adelle Tracey over four laps of the track on Sunday (28).Predictions were that victory in the last event of the afternoon, the women&rsquo;s 800m, would go to Lynsey Sharp or Jenny Meadows, both former European champions. But both finished outside the top two. Meadows, as usual, set the pace (28.65, 59.90 1:31.26), with Sharp at her shoulder and Tracey tucked in behind. Sharp eased ahead on the last back straight, but her lead was short-lived as Tracey, a torch-bearer at the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, took over in the final 40 metres to win in 2:02.99. Leah Barrow came from way back to snatch second place in a personal best of 2:03.18.Another Briton who clinched her place on the plane to Portland was Tiffany Porter, who now has the chance for a third successive World Indoor Championship 60m hurdles medal. After being the fastest in the heats in 8.02, Porter won the final clearly in 7.98, though admitted: &ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t finish very well."Second place went to European indoor bronze medallist Serita Solomon in 8.05 while Lucy Hatton, after running 8.03 in her heat, had a poor run in the final and had to be satisfied with third in 8.15.In the women&rsquo;s 1500m, Hannah England also won a ticket for Portland with a win in 4:15.44, though she said she&rsquo;d leave it to her coach to decide if she should make the trip. Stephanie Twell similarly sealed her selection with a win in the 3000m in 8:54.99 and she may be joined by Josephine Moultrie, whose reward for setting the pace was a qualifying standard of her own when finishing second in 8:58.75.Pole vaulter Luke Cutts, the only man over 5.60m, and longer jumper Jazmin Sawyers, who reached an indoor personal best of 6.67m, each won their events well.The latter beat a slightly off-form Lorraine Ugen, with the IAAF World Indoor Tour winner only managing 6.60m for second place. World silver medallist Shara Proctor missed the championships with a sore hip.<h3>Boswoth brings British race walking to the fore </h3>Race walking events are no longer contested at the IAAF World Indoor Championships but Tom Bosworth could make an impact at the IAAF World Race Walking Team Championships Rome 2016 in May. Here, in a solo effort, the former circus performer produced lap after lap in the 3000m race walk between 43.0 and 44.6, passing halfway in 5:31.3. At this point, it became quite clear that he would smash his own national indoor record and world lead of 11:15.81, and urged the already enthusiastic crowd to get even more involved with two laps remaining at the English Institute of Sport. His last circuit was covered in exactly 40.0 for a final time of 10:58.21.&ldquo;I just wanted to come here and entertain and show that it&rsquo;s not just slow people walking round in circles,&rdquo; he said, after a post-finish celebration which was reminiscent of world and Olympic steeplechase champion Ezekiel Kemboi. &ldquo;You want to make it memorable so that people will come back and watch it."The British women&rsquo;s 3000m race walk record was also broken earlier in the day, when Bethan Davies lowered her own figures to 12:44.99. Like Bosworth, she is coached by former UK international Andi Drake.Unlike the walks, the much anticipated men&rsquo;s high jump clash between Robbie Grabarz and new 2.36m-performer Chris Baker proved to be anti-climactic and ended at just 2.29m, which Baker cleared first time for victory. Grabarz, having cleared 2.26m, failed with his first attempt at that height and then opted to take his remaining efforts at 2.31m, but neither he or Baker could clear that height though the former was nearest with his first try. Mark Butler for the IAAF

Six more athletes clinched automatic selection for the IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 on the second day of the British Indoor Championships in Sheffield, perhaps the most surprising being Adelle Tracey over four laps of the track on Sunday (28).

Tracey's upset 800m win highlights day two of British Indoor Championships

Tiffany Porter has won medals at the past two IAAF World Indoor Championships and she&rsquo;ll be going for her third successive place on the&nbsp;60m hurdles podium at this championship next month in Portland.Great Britain&rsquo;s European 100m hurdles champion is the next top athlete to answer our first impressions questions. <h3>First childhood friend</h3>I come from a close family with two older brothers, Frank and Alex. Growing up, I just wanted to be like them. I was a tomboy as a child and I used to play basketball with them. They were also very protective of me and my best friends. <h3>First toy</h3>I remember as a kid I had this really dirty pink bunny rabbit, which I took everywhere with me. I don&rsquo;t recall its name now but I loved that pink bunny!<h3>First race</h3>It would have been sprint races on the streets of our apartment complex, when I was about six years old. All the kids in the area, including my brothers, used to join in. I often beat the boys my age. The races were a bit chaotic but great fun. <h3>First sport played</h3>Is dancing a sport? I would say, yes! I did ballet, tap and jazz from second grade all the way through to my sophomore year at high school. I don't think it had a direct influence on my track career but it probably helped my co-ordination and all-round agility.&nbsp; <h3>First coach</h3>I started athletics at middle school but, because I was one of the faster kids, I used to train with the high school kids and two high school coaches, Thomas Micallef and Chris Jonik. They made a big impact by taking me under their wing and helping pave the way for my future career. It was Tom, the head coach, who first suggested I try the hurdles. At the time I was a sprinter, but he said with my speed, athleticism and co-ordination I should switch events. <h3>First overseas athletics trip</h3>It was to the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing. It was a mind-blowing experience. I was mesmerised by the place, the culture, the people, the food, the climate. To see people compete from all around the world was a really eye-opening experience. I won the bronze medal in the 100m hurdles (just 0.04 from the gold medal) and my experiences competing in Beijing certainly helped propel me forward for the rest of my career. <h3>First media interview</h3>It was while I was at high school at one of our state meets. I must have won the state title and I recall being interviewed by someone from the local newspaper. It was fun. I've always been pretty natural when I'm interviewed. It was cool to see the write-up afterwards. <h3>First athletics disappointment</h3>It came at my high school state champs in my junior year. I competed in the 100m hurdles, 300m hurdles, 100m and long jump, but I don&rsquo;t think I won any of the four events. Why the disappointment resonates so much is because I was told about the importance of having a good junior year because that is when the colleges are really starting to look at recruiting their athletes for scholarships. I recall thinking after the meet &ldquo;I&rsquo;m never going to win a scholarship.&rdquo;<h3>First fashion disaster</h3>The first one that comes to mind was during my freshman year at high school. I am naturally a risk-taker and I march to the beat of my own drum. I remember for a homecoming dance wearing a pink dress with a big bow complete with a long train. At the time I thought it was the cutest dress, but looking back, I perhaps shouldn&rsquo;t have worn it!<h3>First thing you learned to cook</h3>My mum taught me to make this pasta dish with mixed veggies, seasoning and chicken cooked with a little oil. It doesn&rsquo;t have a name. It is like a Tiff creation, but it is my go-to dish. <h3>First book that made you cry</h3>I&rsquo;m not much of a crier. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve ever cried over a book.<h3>First car</h3>It was a maroon Ford Taurus. I bought the car from my brother who generously sold it to me for $3000, even though it worth a lot more. I recall saving up the money for a long time which included saving all the per-diem money I received from track meets to help buy the car. I bought the car during my sophomore year at college and I had it until I turned pro in 2009. I loved that car. It had a boombox system in the back with a fuzzy pink and black steering wheel cover. Steve Landells for the IAAF

Tiffany Porter has won medals at the last two IAAF World Indoor Championships and she’ll be going for her third successive place on the 60m hurdles podium at this championship next month in Portland. Great Britain’s 2014 European 100m hurdles champion is the next top athlete to answer our First Impressions questions. 


First impressions – Tiffany Porter

Dina Asher-Smith was one of a handful of top performers at the three-day British Championships, which concluded on Sunday (5) in Birmingham, as athletes looked to book their spot on the team for the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015.The world junior champion scorched to a championship record of 11.08 (0.5m/s) in the 100m as she took her first senior national outdoor title. The British record-holder looked dominant throughout the rounds, which will undoubtedly set her up well for Beijing in August.&ldquo;I have worked really, really hard and am confident about my shape going forward,&rdquo; said Asher-Smith, who clocked 11.28 into a -3.0m/s headwind in the semi-final. &ldquo;It is amazing to have booked my place on the plane. I can now just enjoy the next races before the champs.&rdquo;Bianca Williams finished second in 11.43, having won the 200m title 24 hours earlier in 23.51.There had been a lot of pressure on Chijindu Ujah since he broke the 10-second barrier last summer, but he delivered when it mattered this weekend to win his first British 100m title.Ujah remained focused and got a great start, keeping his cool to move away from the field and take victory in 10.10 (-0.6m/s). European champion James Dasaolu was second in 10.24, just 0.03 ahead of world youth silver medallist Ojie Edoburun.&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve had a tough time &ndash; obviously false starting in Prague (at the European Indoor Championships) &ndash; but I&rsquo;ve learned from that and hopefully this will be a stepping stone towards the World Championships.It was also a weekend to remember for sisters Tiffany Porter and Cindy Ofili, who took gold and silver in the 100m hurdles. European champion Porter duly won, running 12.83 into a -1.5m/s headwind.Ofili, who recently finished second at the NCAA Championships in a PB of 12.60, finished runner-up in 12.96, booking her spot on the team for the World Championships.Olympic heptathlon champion Jessica Ennis clocked a season&rsquo;s best of 13.10 in third, 0.04 ahead of European indoor bronze medallist Serita Solomon. European indoor silver medallist Lucy Hatton pulled up after suffering from a back spasm.&ldquo;It was really special to race each other and it is the first time we have in a 100m hurdles race,&rdquo; said Porter of racing her younger sister. &ldquo;She is a great competitor and I&rsquo;m proud how she executed the race today.&rdquo;It took just one jump for Shara Proctor to take the women's long jump title, as she leapt 6.86m (1.4m/s) to defeat a high-quality line up. In a competition hampered by a heavy downpour, Lorraine Ugen finished second with a last-round leap of 6.69m while Katarina Johnson-Thompson finished third with 6.56m in her first long jump competition of the summer.<h3>Records for Pooley and Bosworth</h3>The action on the second day of the championships drew to a close with Isobel Pooley breaking the outdoor British record in the high jump.Pooley was level with world junior champion Morgan Lake with the bar at 1.88m, both athletes enjoying first-time clearances up to and including that height. Pooley then got over 1.91m on her second try as Lake bowed out of the competition.Pooley needed three tries to clear 1.94m, but then popped over 1.97m on her first attempt. It added one centimetre to the national outdoor record she set last year and equalled the outright British record set by Johnson-Thompson earlier this year.&ldquo;I really believe I can jump 2.00m now and that would be a massive breakthrough,&rdquo; said Pooley.The third and final day of action picked up where the second day left off with Tom Bosworth setting the second national record of the weekend.Bosworth won the 5000m race walk by more than a minute, clocking 19:00.73 to take more than 16 seconds off the record he set last year.&ldquo;I wanted to dip under 19 minutes but I&rsquo;m in amazing shape and I&rsquo;m absolutely buzzing for the World Championships,&rdquo; said Bosworth.<h3>Contrasting fortunes for Ohuruogu and Rutherford</h3>Anyika Onuora caused the upset of the weekend as she beat world champion Christine Ohuruogu to win the 400m title in 51.87 to the 2008 Olympic champion&rsquo;s 52.04.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not been an easy transition in the past two years but I guess I&rsquo;ve now found my niche,&rdquo; said Onuora, who has moved up to the 400m from a background at 100m and 200m. &ldquo;Beating the world champion is amazing &ndash; I still look up to her.&rdquo;Another reigning global champion was put under pressure but came away with victory. Greg Rutherford was trailing Dan Bramble at the halfway point of the long jump, but produced a fourth-round leap of 8.11 (-0.6m/s) to take the win by seven centimetres.In the men&rsquo;s 400m, Rabah Yousif and Jarryd Dunn were level coming off the final bend, but Yousif edged ahead down the home straight to win in a lifetime best of 45.01 in far from perfect conditions. Dunn finished second in 45.24 while European champion Martyn Rooney was third.The 200m was won by Zharnel Hughes in 20.42 (0.9m/s), finishing two metres ahead of defending champion Danny Talbot.Laura Muir, winner of the 1500m at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Oslo last month, won her first senior national outdoor title. With 800m remaining of the 1500m, Muir threw in a 60-second lap to break away from Laura Weightman. Muir went on to win in 4:10.37, finishing more than four seconds ahead of European bronze medallist Weightman.&ldquo;I knew Laura would be really strong over the last lap so I wanted to use my endurance,&rdquo; said Muir. &ldquo;I knew that I would be only happy with winning and it&rsquo;s my first British outdoor title. It&rsquo;s only my third time competing here &ndash; I was last the first time and second last year so the win was really important today. I want to be pushing the best in the world.&rdquo;European silver medallist Lynsey Sharp secured a gun-to-tape 800m victory to book her spot on the plane to Beijing. The defending champion looked strong in the closing stages, winning by 0.40 in 2:02.40.Eilidh Child romped to victory in the 400m hurdles in 55.67, while training partner Lawrence Clarke was just as comfortable a winner of the 110m hurdles, winning in 13.55.Olympic bronze medallist Robbie Grabarz and 2013 European indoor champion Holly Bleasdale continued their return from injury to win their respective events. Grabarz cleared 2.28m in the high jump while Bradshaw won the pole vault with 4.50m.Elsewhere, Steph Twell also continued to take strides back towards her best form as she won the women's 5000m by three seconds in 15:38.01, covering the final kilometre in 2:51.Sophie Hitchon produced a championship record of 71.10m to win the women's hammer, while Nick Miller won the men's event with his first-round throw of 75.88m, the longest winning distance at the British Championships since 1985.Rachel Wallader won the shot with a PB of 17.42m, the best throw by a Briton since 2000.Jon Mulkeen and British Athletics for the IAAF

Dina Asher-Smith was one of a handful of top performers at the three-day British Championships, which concluded on Sunday (5) in Birmingham, as athletes looked to book their spot on the team for the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015.

Asher-Smith dashes to 100m title at British Championships

The Floridian city of Clermont is something of a mecca for sprinters with a track that&rsquo;s conducive to fast times and a near guarantee of favourable conditions.Often the breeze blows a bit too hard, giving performances illegal wind assistance. But at the NTC Pure Athletics Sprint Elite Meet on Saturday (18), some athletes escaped the addition of the dreaded &lsquo;w&rsquo; after their marks and produced impressive times at this early stage of the season.European champion Tiffany Porter was one of the lucky few to come away from the competition with a wind-legal mark; two of them, in fact. After clocking 12.67 (1.9m/s) in the 100m hurdles heats, she ran a world-leading 12.56 (1.8m/s) in the final, her fourth-fastest time ever and just 0.05 shy of her British record.Fellow Brit Lucy Hatton, the European indoor silver medallist, continued where she left off from the indoor season. Having reduced her 60m hurdles PB from 8.33 to 7.90 during the winter, the 20-year-old smashed her 100m hurdles PB in Clermont by 0.27 in the heats with 12.93 and then went quicker in the final with 12.84.Porter wasn&rsquo;t the only European champion to triumph in Clermont. Dafne Schippers, the double European sprint champion, got her outdoor season off to a promising start. She clocked a windy 11.03 (2.2m/s) in the 100m heats to finish behind Tori Bowie&rsquo;s 10.94, but then produced the fastest time of the day in the final with 10.90, this time assisted by a 3.9m/s breeze.Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Keston Bledman twice dipped below the 10-second barrier in the men&rsquo;s 100m, both times with illegal wind assistance. After running 9.97 (3.6m/s) in the heats, he went quicker in the final with less wind, clocking 9.94 (3.4m/s).In the men&rsquo;s 200m, Kenya&rsquo;s Carvin Nkanata benefitted from a useful 1.9m/s following breeze to run a world-leading 20.14, breaking the national record in the process.World champion David Oliver finished comfortably ahead of 2011 world champion Jason Richardson in the 110m hurdles heats, running 13.19 to his US compatriot&rsquo;s 13.32 (2.5m/s). But Oliver didn&rsquo;t contest the final, leaving Richardson to take the victory in 13.31 (2.1m/s).Shaunae Miller, the 2010 world junior and 2011 world youth 400m champion from The Bahamas, gave herself a belated birthday present just four days after turning 21.The world indoor bronze medallist won the one-lap sprint in 51.83 then returned a few hours later to win her 200m heat in 22.50 (1.6m/s). USA&rsquo;s Shalonda Solomon went slightly quicker in the other 200m heat with 22.44, but was aided by a 2.1m/s following wind.World junior champion Machel Cedenio of Trinidad and Tobago opened his season with a personal best in the 400m. The 19-year-old clocked 45.09 to shave 0.04 off the PB he set when winning the global under-20 title in Eugene last year.There was a British double in the long jump. Dan Bramble added 30 centimetres to his lifetime best to win the men&rsquo;s contest with 8.21m (1.8m/s). In a close competition, he beat world silver medallist Ignisious Gaisah (8.19m) and Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor (8.18m).Shara Proctor, the 2012 world indoor bronze medallist, was an easy winner of the women&rsquo;s event with a world-leading 6.77m.Jon Mulkeen for the IAAF

The Floridian city of Clermont is something of a mecca for sprinters with a track that’s conducive to fast times and a near guarantee of favourable conditions.

Porter and Schippers impress in Clermont

European 100m hurdles champion and world bronze medallist Tiffany Porter talks about the best things in her athletics career.<h3>My best athletics achievement </h3>Winning a bronze medal at the Moscow World Championships was huge. It was a major redemption for me coming off the disappointment of the London Olympic year. That year I suffered injury and wondered if I wanted to carry on in the sport. A close second to winning bronze in Moscow was being top of the podium at the European Championships. There is no feeling like it. It is addictive.<h3>The best athlete I&rsquo;ve ever seen</h3>I&rsquo;m so torn. There are so many great athletes; Usain Bolt, David Rudisha, Ashton Eaton. I am partial to the sprints, so I will say Usain Bolt. He is something special.<h3>My best friend in athletics</h3>That&rsquo;s easy: my husband, Jeff Porter. We&rsquo;ve known each other for 10 years and I met him aged 17. Jeff&rsquo;s been there for me every day &ndash; he has been my back bone. He was there for me during the year (2012) I wanted to quit. He really motivates me to want to do better.<h3>My best coach </h3>I had great success with my old coach, James Henry, who helped me reach all of my goals as a collegiate athlete. Now as a pro I&rsquo;ve had a lot of success with my current coach, Rana Reider. He has helped me win major championship medals and set PBs, so I&rsquo;ll say both James and Rana.<h3>My biggest weakness</h3>I really like to help people. I like to see the good in people and try to be as kind as possible. Sometimes people take my kindness for weakness. <h3>My greatest rival</h3>With the hurdles being as deep as it is right now and so much talent in the event, I would say my greatest rival is whoever is on top. Last year Dawn Harper Nelson was on top. The year before, Brianna (Rollins); the year before that, Sally (Pearson). Whoever is on top of their game, you naturally want to beat. To be completely honest, I would say my greatest rival is my mind. I tend to over-think and over-complicate things. Sometimes I can be my own worst enemy.<h3>My best piece of kit</h3>I loved the GB Olympic kit in 2012. It looked really cute &ndash; a great merge of fashion and sport. I really like the Adidas clothes, they really fit me well. I know I am paid to say that, but they genuinely do.<h3>My biggest disappointment</h3>I know I talk about it a lot, but the 2012 Olympic Games. I had never been injured before, so to pick up an injury before the biggest competition of my life took me a while to bounce back from. I have become a better athlete for the experience.<h3>My biggest regret</h3>I don&rsquo;t have any major regrets. I do believe the journey and the disappointments along the way form who you are.<h3>My best achievement outside of athletics </h3>Graduating with my doctorate in pharmacy in 2012 was a huge accomplishment for me. Some people perhaps see you only as an athlete and don&rsquo;t understand you have other aspects to your life and other passions. I am very passionate about my pharmacy career.Steve Landells for the IAAF

European 100m hurdles champion and world bronze medallist Tiffany Porter talks about the best things in her athletics career.

Personal bests – Tiffany Porter

Dawn Harper Nelson has led the world list in 2014 since 5 July with the 12.44 she clocked at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Paris. Since missing out on a medal at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow last year, the 30-year-old US athlete has been back in the shape that took her to Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008 and she came close to matching her world-leading time with a double record-breaking performance in Marrakech.The Americas representative would also be the first to give credit to Europe’s Tiffany Porter for pushing her close with a run that also took the British woman into her national record books. Harper Nelson held a marginal lead from the start and refused to yield, crossing the line in 12.47, which earned her a Continental Cup record, eclipsing the 12.60 set by Cornelia Oschkenat of Germany in Barcelona back in 1989. It also broke the African all-comers’ record of 12.63, held by Angela Atede of Nigeria.Just 0.04 behind Harper Nelson, Porter finished the runner up in 12.51. In doing so, she shaved 0.03 off the British record set by Jessica Ennis-Hill en route to her Olympic heptathlon victory in London in 2012. Both women finished well clear of Cindy Roleder, who claimed third place for Europe in 13.02.“I am absolutely blessed for this victory,” said Harper Nelson. “I did not expect such a great time. It’s a big honour to be here and to compete with the other Americas team members from Cuba, Puerto Rico and the other countries. “Next year I look forward to the World Championships in my second home – Beijing, here I come.”Porter reflected: “I am absolutely happy, even if I did not win. My season has been topped with a European title and now a national record. I think I deserve a holiday now.”Simon Turnbull for the IAAF

Dawn Harper Nelson has led the world list in 2014 since 5 July with the 12.44 she clocked at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Paris. 

Report: women's 100m hurdles – IAAF Continental Cup, Marrakech 2014

The ISTAF Berlin meeting, part of the 2014 IAAF World Challenge, promised big throws, and it delivered. Unfortunately, for the home crowd, the best throw of the day saw Poland&rsquo;s Anita Wlodarczyk deprive local star Betty Heidler of her hammer world record* with a huge effort of 79.58m on Sunday (31).The European champion, who in 2009 had set a previous world record of 77.96m at the IAAF World Championships which were also held in Berlin&rsquo;s famous Olympic stadium, led from the outset.She opened her series with 75.29m before unleashing her world record throw in the second round, adding 16 centimetres to the mark set by Germany's Betty Heidler in 2011.Wlodarczyk continued to threaten the 80-metre line with her remaining attempts, throwing 78.46m, 79.04m, 78.64m and 77.94m to put together the greatest series of all time.Any one of her attempts would have been enough to win, as Heidler finished second with 75.20m. The contest was also part of the 2014 IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge. &ldquo;It feels great to throw a world record. A hammer thrower getting a standing ovation, that&rsquo;s crazy,&rdquo; laughed Wlodarczyk after deservedly taking the plaudits from the 50,000 crowd. &ldquo;I would have liked to throw 80 metres, I had it targeted today and I had a good feeling beforehand. I know I am capable of it."German throwing supremacy continuesHowever, it was certainly not all doom and gloom for the German throwers, as poster boy Robert Harting put on a stellar performance for his home crowd to take his fifth consecutive ISTAF discus victory.The 29-year-old led the competition from the start and was crowned winner with a 68.21m performance, just 26cm short of his season&rsquo;s best and a distance only he and one other man have beaten this year.&ldquo;It&rsquo;s normally difficult to find form after your season&rsquo;s highlight,&rdquo; said the recently crowned European champion. &ldquo;The atmosphere was superb, so it felt like the easiest competition I&rsquo;ve had all season.&rdquo;Lithuania&rsquo;s Virgilijus Alekna was sent off into retirement as the loudspeakers of Berlin&rsquo;s iconic Olympic stadium played &lsquo;Time to Say Goodbye&rsquo; for the double former world and Olympic champion, who ended his professional career with a 61.84m throw.With the support of the home crowd, it was just as easy for David Storl as it was for Harting to continue his fine form in the men&rsquo;s shot put. With a 21.41m second-round throw, he finished ahead of USA's Ryan Whiting, and only missed out on the meeting record by 21 centimetres. After several injury struggles this season, Storl will now undergo knee surgery on 18 September in order to help him defend his world title next summer. Despite being the odds-on favourite, it was only a close victory for fellow European champion Christina Schwanitz. Everything happened in the sixth and final round of the women&rsquo;s shot as five out of the eight throwers achieved their best results. Schwanitz edged out Yevgenia Kolodko 19.53m to 19.43m, which was a season&rsquo;s best for the Russian.There was also some good jumping as Poland&rsquo;s former world champion and 2014 European silver medallist Pawel Wojciechowski took the men&rsquo;s pole vault victory with a season&rsquo;s best of 5.80m, while the Netherlands&rsquo; world silver medallist Ignisious Gaisah won the long jump with 8.13m.Blanket finishesThe men&rsquo;s 800m was a close affair on the finish line as personal and season&rsquo;s bests tumbled. Poland&rsquo;s Adam Kszczot led the race going into the home straight before Algeria&rsquo;s Olympic 1500m champion Taoufik Makhloufi soared past him. It was, however, Ethiopia's world champion Mohammed Aman who stole victory on the line in 1:43.52, 0.01 ahead of Makhloufi who got a personal best.The women&rsquo;s 100m was equally close as Jamaica&rsquo;s Kerron Stewart and USA&rsquo;s Joanna Atkins could only be separated with the help of the photo finish, with Stewart taking a narrow victory of 11.25 over second-placed Atkins&rsquo; 11.26.In the men&rsquo;s 400m, it was Botswana&rsquo;s Isaac Makwala and Britain&rsquo;s Martyn Rooney who were battling it out right to the end. Makwala beat the European champion by 0.03 to win in 45.11.Tiffany Porter had all the reason to celebrate in the women&rsquo;s 100m hurdles. Coming out of the blocks with a strong start, world champion Brianna Rollins caught up with her, but the Briton managed to fight back convincingly to take the victory in 12.64.In the men&rsquo;s 110m hurdles, it was a Cuban one-two, as Orlando Ortega put on a stellar performance of 13.08 to leave the rest of the field more than two tenths behind him. Dayron Robles came second, while meeting and world record-holder Aries Merritt, who has been struggling with injury the past two seasons, came fifth.Trinidad and Tobago&rsquo;s Richard Thompson pipped Dentarius Locke on the line to take the 100m victory in 10.15.Late season&rsquo;s bests tumble&nbsp; In the men&rsquo;s 5000m, Kenyan pair Augustine Choge and John Kipkoech initially looked good for the first two places as they entered the home straight, only for USA&rsquo;s Bernard Lagat to come along and split them up.All three recorded season&rsquo;s bests with Choge taking the victory in 13:06.12 ahead of Lagat in 13:06.68.Meanwhile, in the men&rsquo;s 1500m there were celebrations for the Ethiopians as Mekonnen Gebremedhin overcame his compatriot Aman Wote, recording a personal best of 3:33.24 with the latter 0.08 further back and Kenya&rsquo;s Vincent Kibet third in a personal best of 3:33.58.Bahrain&rsquo;s Ruth Jebet ran a fine race in the 3000m steeplechase with a convincing victory of 9:26.94. European champion and national hero Antje Moldner-Schmidt finished fifth in 9:34.49, but was happy to have finished the season with her second-fastest time of the year.Michelle Sammet for the IAAF*subject to the usual ratification procedures

The ISTAF Berlin meeting, part of the 2014 IAAF World Challenge, promised big throws, and it delivered. Unfortunately, for the home crowd, the best throw of the day saw Poland’s Anita Wlodarczyk deprive local star Betty Heidler of her hammer world record* with a huge effort of 79.58m on Sunday (31).

Wlodarczyk breaks hammer world record in Berlin

One of the most compelling rivalries of this year’s IAAF Diamond League season is set to resume at the Sainsbury’s Birmingham Grand Prix when Bogdan Bondarenko does battle again with Mutaz Essa Barshim on Sunday (24).The men’s high jump set to be one of the highlights of the afternoon at Alexander Stadium.The Ukrainian has won the last two meetings between the pair, including a historic contest in New York when both cleared 2.42m, and he comes to Birmingham fresh from a triumph at the European Championships last week when four jumps was all it took to lift the title on a cold, damp evening in Zurich.With good conditions promised for Sunday, the 12th stop on the 2014 IAAF Diamond League tour, Barshim may well push Bondarenko into 2.40m territory again as the world champion looks to extend his lead in the Diamond Race with another four points.It’s a height he’s cleared in his past three IAAF Diamond League meetings, but with three men in the field capable of competing at that level, including Barshim and Canada’s Derek Drouin, it may not be enough to guarantee maximum points.Barshim briefly led the world with his winning Asian record of 2.41m in Rome back in June, and the Qatari matched Bondarenko jump-for-jump in New York to go one centimetre higher just six days later. He was second to Bondarenko again at their last meeting in Monaco.Barshim has had a month to recharge his batteries and is expected to come out firing, especially after he warmed up for Birmingham by clearing a meeting record of 2.41m at the famous German high jump meeting in Eberstadt on Thursday night.Kirani James is another athlete ready to pick up his IAAF Diamond League campaign after bagging another championship gold medal.The Grenadan returns to the UK just three weeks after adding the Commonwealth Games 400m title to his world and Olympic crowns from 2011 and 2012.James dipped under 44 seconds in his last two IAAF Diamond League outings and lowered his Central American and Caribbean record to 43.74 in Lausanne on 3 July. Something special could be on the cards in Birmingham too where he will be pushed by Botswana’s Isaac Makwala, an IAAF Diamond League winner in Monaco, and Great Britain’s newly minted European gold and silver medallists Martyn Rooney and Matthew Hudson-Smith, plus two other high quality Caribbean men in Chris Brown of The Bahamas and Luguelin Santos from the Dominican Republic.Zurich heroes return homeBritain’s feted Zurich performers will be much in evidence throughout the programme, not least in the women’s 100m where Ashleigh Nelson and Jodie Williams, both individual sprint medallists, line up alongside fellow relay champions, Desiree Henry and Asha Philip, to take on the best of USA in Allyson Felix, fresh from her 200m triumph in Stockholm, Tori Bowie, English Gardner and Carmelita Jeter.It’s a similar story for Zurich 100m hurdles champion Tiffany Porter who finds herself back in the mix against the world’s best, including Sally Pearson who beat her in Glasgow to take her second Commonwealth title.The Australian will be keen to make amends after false starting in Stockholm on Thursday night, a rare mistake by the 2012 Olympic champion from which the current Diamond Race leader Queen Harrison benefited. She beat Pearson’s predecessor as Olympic champion, Dawn Harper Nelson, and both feature in a heavily loaded line-up here alongside another US sprint hurdler, the current world champion, Brianna Rollins.Like Porter, Eilidh Child will hear her name announced as European champion for the first time and, like Porter again, she will have her work cut out to beat a top quality field, which includes this year’s leading one-lap hurdler Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica.Spencer is looking to extend a seven-strong win streak in her first race since claiming the Commonwealth crown last month.US athletes Kori Carter and Georganne Moline are likely to provide the main opposition, although there’s no predicting the effect of home support on Child’s chances.Greg Rutherford will be hoping to ride that wave too as – boosted by a successful couple of weeks collecting Commonwealth and European gold medals – the Olympic champion takes on Diamond Race leader Jeff Henderson and China’s Li Jinzhe, plus 2012 Olympic triple jump champion Christian Taylor. The men’s 200m features two sub-20-second men in Nickel Ashmeade and Alonso Edward, while the 100m – one of four non-Diamond League events – provides Michael Rodgers with a chance to get over his Stockholm false start disqualification. Stockholm winner Nesta Carter, Commonwealth champion Kemar Bailey-Cole, Kim Collins and Christophe Lemaitre are among the opposition.Two of the meeting’s biggest names also run in non-Diamond League events. Britain’s serial double gold medal winner Mo Farah runs over the men’s two miles, where his opponents include his compatriot and double European Championships medallist Andy Vernon, and David Rudisha takes on the rarely-run 600m, the Kenyan Olympic 800m champion back in the UK after his shock defeat over two laps of the track in the Commonwealth Games final.Kenyans out in forceThere are plenty of top names in the IAAF Diamond League distance events too, not least in the historic Emsley Carr Mile, where the world-leading 1500m man, Silas Kiplagat, will be aiming to regain the Emsley Carr title he first won in 2012 and gain four more Diamond Race points against Kenyan compatriots Asbel Kiprop and Collins Cheboi.Kenyans feature strongly in the 3000m steeplechase too: Jarius Birech, Paul Koech, and the unrelated Kiprutos, Brimin and Conseslus, with Birech favourite for a fifth straight IAAF Diamond League win. Eunice Sum is also looking for a fifth victory in the women’s 800m where she comes up against the top young US talent Ajee Wilson.Ethiopia’s Genzebe Dibaba shares top place in the women’s 5000m Diamond Race standings with Kenya’s Mercy Cherono and the two go head-to-head over two miles here with an outright points lead at stake.With five wins out of five, Valerie Adams has long since wrapped up the women’s shot Race, so the New Zealander’s task in Birmingham is to add another date to her daunting list of consecutive wins, stretching back over four seasons to 18 August 2010. USA’s Michelle Carter and Germany’s new European champion Christina Schwanitz are likely to contest the minor points.Other big names in the field events who will be defending their unbeaten IAAF Diamond League records this summer include: Germany’s Robert Harting in the men’s discus against Poland’s Diamond Race leader Piotr Malachowski; Barbora Spotakova, fresh from her thrilling Zurich javelin victory will face silver and bronze medallists Tatjana Jelaca and Linda Stahl; Fabiana Murer against Jenn Suhr in the pole vault; and Caterine Ibarguen in a triple jump tussle with Jamaica’s Kimberly Williams. Matthew Brown for the IAAF

One of the most compelling rivalries of this year’s IAAF Diamond League season is set to resume at the Sainsbury’s Birmingham Grand Prix when Bohdan Bondarenko does battle again with Mutaz Essa Barshim on Sunday (24).

Battle commences again in Birmingham with Bondarenko v Barshim – IAAF Diamond League

A triple gold medal haul for Great Britain and a world-leading performance in the decathlon highlighted a wet, windy and unseasonably chilly second day at the European Championships in Zurich on Wednesday (13).British fortunes began with the evening’s longest event on the track where, four years after winning the title that catapulted him on to the global stage, Mo Farah regained the continental 10,000m crown.After leading the race for much of the final two kilometres, Farah unleashed his trademark sustained kick over the final lap to reach the line in 28:08.11, becoming just the fourth man to win the event twice at these championships.“Winning the European Championships again really does mean a lot to me, I didn't want to let people down after missing the Commonwealth Games,” said Farah, whose victory put an end to questions about his fitness and health, coming just six weeks after he collapsed at his home and was airlifted to a hospital.There were no signs of any problems in the race which Farah seemed largely to control, whether running from the back or from the front. Choosing to linger at the rear of the pack in the opening stages, he joined the leaders when Polat Kemboi Arikan, the defending champion, tried to make an early solo break. The Turk’s tactic proved to be folly when he was caught by the midway point and was never again a serious factor.When Farah switched gears at the bell, Arikan and his teammate Ali Kaya gave chase with Farah’s teammate Andy Vernon also in medal contention. Vernon passed Arikan with about 200 metres remaining before he chased down and passed Kaya at the line to finish off a surprise 1-2 for Great Britain. Vernon’s 28:08.66 was a season’s best, while Kaya’s 28:08.72 for third was a personal best. First gold for PorterThe second British victory of the day came about an hour later, courtesy of Tiffany Porter who edged Frenchwoman Cindy Billaud in a thrilling 100m hurdles face off.Porter started well and built a clear lead by the second hurdle. To her inside, Billaud kept the pressure on, but couldn’t quite make up that initial cushion that the Briton had built. Porter stopped the clock in 12.76, holding off Billaud’s powerful finish by just 0.03.“I'm just so happy to win, this is my first gold medal so I couldn't be happier,” said Porter, the world bronze medallist last year and silver medal winner at the Commonwealth Games 12 days ago. “I focused on my lane and performed when it mattered the most.”Germany’s Cindy Roleder finished strong to take the bronze, clocking 12.82.100m titles for Dasaolu and SchippersJames Dasaolu was the third Briton to strike gold with a convincing victory in the 100m. Clearly ahead some 40 metres into the race, the 26-year-old powered on to finish unchallenged in 10.06 to secure his first major title.“I didn’t have a great start but I battled through so I’m happy,” said Dasaolu, who ended a 16-year gold medal drought in the event for Great Britain.Two-time European champion Christophe Lemaitre, who had been struggling with his start in each of his races here, had to settle for second in 10.13, while Briton Harry Aikines-Aryeetey finished strong to steal the bronze from team-mate Dwain Chambers, 10.22 to 10.24.In the women’s short dash contest, Dafne Schippers overcame a sluggish start to edge Myriam Soumare to the gold medal and take another big step in her transformation from heptathlete to sprinter.Running against a strong -1.7m/s headwind, the 22-year-old clocked 11.12 to become the first Dutchwoman to win the European title since Fanny Blankers-Koen captured a sprint double in 1950.“The first 20 metres were not that good and the last 20 were not very relaxing so I can see some space for improvement,” said Schippers, who moved her combined-event ambitions to the sidelines to focus on the sprints this season. She’s now looking to emulate Blankers-Koen when the 200m gets underway on Thursday morning.Soumare clocked 11.16 to improve one spot from her finish in 2010 while Briton Ashleigh Nelson, a former world youth and world junior medallist, was third, clocking 11.22. Finishing her surprising two-day rise, Mujinga Kambundji was fourth in 11.30 less than two hours after clocking a 11.20 Swiss record; her second in as many days.Krauchanka tallies 8616 world leadIn the decathlon, Andrei Krauchanka of Belarus ignored the less-than-ideal weather conditions to piece together an 8616-point performance, the first world leader of these championships.Third after the first day, the 28-year-old from Belarus dropped to third after a 14.20 run in the morning’s high hurdles, but a near-PB in the discus (47.46m) and a solid 5.10m clearance in the pole vault lifted him to the lead for good after eight events.A 68.11m throw in the javelin cushioned his lead before he wrapped up the two days with a 4:39.39 run in the 1500m. His tally was just one point shy of his personal best from Gotzis in 2007.Twenty-two-year-old Kevin Mayer of France chiselled together a consistent two days to finish second with a 8521-point tally, 95 behind the winner, with Russian Ilya Shkurenev taking a second successive bronze with 8498. Both were personal bests.The combined events at the European Championships form part of the IAAF Combined Events Challenge. With this being Krauchanka’s first decathlon of the season, he won’t yet make a mark on the overall standings. But seventh-place finisher Rico Freimuth now moves into the overall lead ahead of Eelco Sintnicolaas, who finished fourth here with 8478.Harting and Lesueur successfully defendOlympic and world champion Robert Harting added to his treasure chest of superlatives with his successful title defence, becoming just the second man to win back-to-back discus throw titles.Opening with a 63.94m toss, the three-time world champion reached 66.07m in round three to secure the victory over Gerd Kanter, who pulled out a 64.75m throw in the third round to stay in the competition, having been in 12th place after two rounds. It was Kanter’s third continental silver and his 10th medal from the past 11 major championships.Pole Robert Urbanek reached 63.81m to take the bronze, 27 centimetres ahead of his more favoured team-mate Piotr Malachowski, who was never in a medal position.Eloyse Lesueur only registered two legal jumps but that was enough to defend her long jump title and give France its first gold of the championships. The 26-year-old reached 6.85m in the fourth round to overtake Ivana Spanovic by four centimetres to add the European title to her world indoor crown from Sopot.Russia’s Darya Klishina, twice a European indoor champion, won bronze here with a 6.65m best, getting the nod over Germany’s Malaika Mihambo who reached the same distance but had a lesser secondary mark.Narrow race walk victory for LopezThe first title of the day went to Spaniard Miguel Angel Lopez who fought his way to a narrow and dramatic victory in the 20km race walk. Racing on wet and slippery streets during the morning rains that washed over Zurich, the 26-year-old broke from a tight four-man battle to win in 1:19:44, just a second ahead of world champion Aleksandr Ivanov.“To become the European champion, that is a very important achievement for me and it boosts my self-confidence,” said Lopez, who won Olympic bronze over the distance two years ago. “Before the competition, my plan was to fight for the medals but only in the last kilometres I started to feel that the victory is possible.”Denis Strelkov of Russia was given the nod for bronze over Ukraine’s Ruslan Dmytrenko after both stopped the clock in 1:19:46.Elsewhere, sub-1:43 man Pierre-Ambroise Bosse of France looked to be the man to beat in the 800m after his comfortable and confident 1:45.94 run in the semis.Bogdan Bondarenko of Ukraine needed just one leap – a clearance at 2.23m – to move into tomorrow night’s final in the men’s high jump and his eagerly anticipated face-off against Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov of Russia.Medal favourites Pascal Martinot-Lagarde of France, Briton William Sharman and defending champion Sergey Shubenkov of Russia each clocked 13.29 to top the first-round qualifiers in the 110m hurdles.In the women’s 800m heats, defending champion Lynsey Sharp advanced comfortably with a 2:01.55 heat win, just a few ticks slower than her British team-mate Alison Leonard’s round-leading 2:01.47.Rasmus Magi was the quickest in the men’s 400m hurdles semis, his 48.54 a national record.Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

A triple gold medal haul for Great Britain and a world-leading performance in the decathlon highlighted a wet, windy and unseasonably chilly second day at the European Championships in Zurich on Wednesday (13).