Tiffany Porter, a three-time Olympian and Ypsilanti native, announced her retirement from track and field on Feb. 5 via Twitter.
In her Twitter statement, Porter not only announced her retirement from the sport, but the launch of her new blog discussing her life and advice regarding track and field as well. Her first post on her new blog is titled, “My Love Letter to Track & Field,“ and entails her personal track and field journey.
Growing up in the Ypsilanti area, Porter knew from a young age that she had a passion for running and competing. She looked forward to the games during a field day in her elementary years.
“I would race (and beat) all the other boys and girls my age, and then be rewarded with ice cream after. That’s when I learned that I had a deep love for competing and the adrenaline rush was addictive,“ Porter said in her blog post.
Her natural talent of speed brought her to join the high school track team as a middle schooler, paving the way for her soon-to-be extraordinary career. She met Coach Thomas Micallef while he was working at Ypsilanti High School.
“He encouraged me to join the YAWTC high school club as a middle schooler. I did just that and began competing against girls up to 5 years my senior, I even beat a few along the way.” Porter said.
She attended Ypsilanti High School and stayed on the track team for all four years. During this time, she was introduced to running hurdles and further developed her skills in this area during her high school career.
“Several State Championship titles and All American honors later, I earned a full scholarship to the University of Michigan to keep our relationship going,” Porter said.
Tiffany Porter made history by becoming the first woman ever to win five consecutive NCAA titles during her college career at U of M. Throughout her college journey, she accomplished a number of things, including obtaining a Big Ten Medal of Honor, a World Junior Medal, along with several Big Ten titles.
In 2009 after her eligibility was finished with U of M, she met her agent Mark Wetmore who helped her obtain a sponsorship deal with Adidas.
“That partnership opened many doors and introduced me to what financial freedom is,” Porter said.
With another mentor, Rana Reider, she accomplished a number of things professionally.
“Together we won three World Championship medals, a European title, a Commonwealth Games silver medal, a Continental Cup silver, European bronze medal, and broke the British 100-meter hurdles record,” Porter said.
She represented the United States as a junior but represented Great Britain in 2010 and joined the senior ranks after moving to England for a period of time. This is when she competed for Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Porter also won a bronze medal at the 2013 World Championships in the 100-meter hurdles.
Porter competed in her third and final Olympic Games in August 2021. She felt amazing knowing she still accomplished things even after becoming a first-time mother in July.
After the long relationship between Porter and track and field, she is ready to retire.
“So now, as I officially close the chapter on our nearly three-decade-long relationship, I want to thank you track and field, for all you gave me and allowed me to experience,” Porter said.
