26 Years After Flo-Jos’ Death, Shocking Similarities Found in U20 Track and Field Champion at LSU Invitational

Florence Griffith-Joyner achieved remarkable feats in track and field at the Seoul Olympics in 1988. It has been over three decades since the world’s fastest woman set world records in both the 100m and 200m sprints in the women’s category. Very few athletes have come close to her extraordinary 100m world record in Seoul, which she achieved just four days after winning the 200m gold. During the qualifying rounds, Florence Griffith-Joyner also recorded three of the four fastest runs ever recorded in the 100m sprint. Recently, Favour Ofili came close to replicating such phenomenal records.

In the recently concluded LSU Invitational, the 21-year-old Nigerian athlete completed her 100m race in 10.78 seconds (+2.2m/second), equaling Aleia Hobbs at the top spot. To everyone’s disbelief, on the same day, Ofili registered her 200m race in 22.34 seconds(+2.0 m/second). Eventually, both the timings remained closer to the existing NCAA records, giving her the top podiums. While in comparison to Flo-Jo’s track and field timings of 1988, Ofili’s timing may look less radiant, it’s the closest ‘double-double’ achieved by an athlete since the legend’s death 28 years ago.

In the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Elaine Thompson-Herah had a similar stint as she defended her 100m title. Surprisingly, 3 days later, she won the 200m title in the Olympics. Meanwhile, her 100m timing remains as the Olympic record. For such track and field maneuvering, Elaine Thompson-Herah earned the nickname of the second fastest woman in history. For Ofili, a special recognition had been waiting as she achieved the feat in a much tender age compared to Flo-Jo and Elaine Thompson-Herah.