Tiffany Porter Ofili: I am proud to be American, British and Nigerian!

It’s been my dream to compete at the Olympic Games for as long as I can remember,” Tiffany Porter says as she gazes at a photograph of herself as a young girl. “I was 13 when this picture was taken and that’s me back in Ypsilanti [a small town in Michigan]. I had my Olympic dream long before that. When I was much younger I remember watching it on TV and turning to my father and saying: ‘Dad, I want to run in the Olympics one day.’

“He looked at me, very seriously, and said: ‘Tiffany, you know what? If you continue to work hard then, one day, you will.’ That moment sticks out in my mind. It just resonates with me. I was lucky that, from such an early age, my family believed in me. And I had the determination to do it.”

In the blue track vest of Ypsilanti West Middle School, a sweet-faced American girl stares straight into the camera with hope and promise pouring out of her. Eleven years later, at the age of 24, Porter is on the brink of competing for Great Britain at the London Olympics. Having held dual nationality since she was a baby – her mother, Lillian, was born in London and her parents lived together in England for years – she might also captain the GB track team at the Games.

Porter was elevated to the role in March, amid much controversy, at the world indoor championships in Istanbul. Charles van Commenee, the astute but provocative national coach, was unapologetic in choosing Porter to lead his team as the Daily Mail continued their “Plastic Brit” campaign against her.