Nia Ali

Nia Ali is an American track and field athlete born on 23rd October 1988. She hails from Germantown city of Philadelphia in the United States. Nia specializes in hurdling and represents the USA internationally in 100m Hurdles.

Background:

Nia Ali was born to Late Aleem Ali and Melita Johnson. She was born in Norristown city of Pennsylvania and brought up in Germantown city of Philadelphia. Nia has three siblings, Kalenna Ali, Ameer Ali, and Aatiqah Ali.

Nia first pursued her interest in running when she was 6-year-old. While studying at the West Philadelphia Catholic High School, she competed in cross country and distance running. For her senior year, Nia moved to Pleasantville High School in New Jersey, where she first tried her hands in hurdling. She was New York High School State Meet Indoor Champion in 55m Hurdles and Nike Indoor Nationals Champion in 60m Hurdles in 2006.

In 2006, after graduating from high school, Nia enrolled at the University of Tennessee, and a season later, she moved to the University of Southern California, where became a member of the athletics team USC Trojans. Nia had represented the both University of Tennessee and USC Trojans at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships.

Rise to Glory:

Nia Ali’s first national appearance came in 2006 when she competed at the USA Junior Track and Field Championships and finished 4th in 100m Hurdles. The following year, she made her NCAA debut while representing the University of Tennessee at the NCAA Indoor Championships, where she took 6th position in 60m Hurdles.

In 2011, representing USC Trojans, Nia took home her first NCAA title in 100m Hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. That year, in August, she received her first international break after she won the 100m Hurdles title at the World University Games in Shenzhen, China.

At the 2013 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships, Nia won her first senior national title in 60m Hurdles Indoor. This was followed by her first national outdoor medal, winning Bronze in 100m Hurdles at the USA Outdoor Championships. In 2016, Nia clinched a Silver medal in 60m Hurdles at the Glasgow Indoor Grand Prix.

In the 2017 and 2019 USA Outdoor Championships, Nia Ali won two Silver medals in 100m Hurdles. She is the current World No.3 Women 100m Hurdler with 1407 points.

Major Achievements:

Nia Ali made her major international debut as a professional athlete at the 2012 Diamond League, where she finished 4th in 100m Hurdles in Doha, Qatar. In 2013, she competed at the World Athletics Championships and was placed 10th in 100m Hurdles semifinals.

In 2014, Nia clinched the 60m indoor title by clocking 7.80s at the World Indoor Athletics Championships. That year, in September, she took home the Gold medal in 100m Hurdles with the timing of 12.92s at the IAAF World Challenge in Zagreb, Croatia. The following year, Nia successfully defended her 60m world indoor title by reaching the finishing line in 7.81s.

Nia Ali made her Olympics debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she made it to the podium with a Silver medal in 100m Hurdles by clocking 12.59s, just 0.02 seconds ahead of Bronze-medalist and compatriot Kristi Castlin. In 2017, she reached her first World Championships final and finished 8th in 100m Hurdles (13.04s).

At the 2019 World Athletics Championships, Nia was crowned as World Champion in 100m Hurdles by clocking the personal best time of 12.34 seconds.

Nia Ali will look to qualify for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics via U.S Olympic Qualifiers and shall be in contention to win a medal in 100m Hurdles.