US-born Brit hurdler Tiffany Porter causing a stir
Source: Agencies |
March 10, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
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BORN in the United States but competing for Britain, hurdler Tiffany Porter is causing a stir at the world indoor championships.
The 24-year-old Porter, who has a British mother and a Nigerian father but was born and raised in Michigan, was named captain of the British team on Thursday. That announcement quickly prompted a question about her knowledge of the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen."
"I do know the first ... I know the whole part of 'God Save the Queen,'" said Porter, who has had a British passport since she was a baby. "I'm not known for my singing ability."
Some of Porter's teammates came to her defense yesterday.
"It's disappointing. She's the captain, she's a good athlete and we're going to do well," said Yamile Aldama, a Cuban-born triple jumper who has also competed for Sudan. "It doesn't matter what people say."
Both Porter and Aldama have been labeled "Plastic Brits" because they were born abroad. But one of Britain's best hopes for a gold medal at the London Olympics is another foreign-born athlete, Mo Farah.
"I don't think that question was acceptable. I think it was out of order," the Somalia-born distance runner Farah said. Farah won the 5,000-10,000 double at the European Championships and a 5,000 meter world title in South Korea.
The 24-year-old Porter, who has a British mother and a Nigerian father but was born and raised in Michigan, was named captain of the British team on Thursday. That announcement quickly prompted a question about her knowledge of the British national anthem, "God Save the Queen."
"I do know the first ... I know the whole part of 'God Save the Queen,'" said Porter, who has had a British passport since she was a baby. "I'm not known for my singing ability."
Some of Porter's teammates came to her defense yesterday.
"It's disappointing. She's the captain, she's a good athlete and we're going to do well," said Yamile Aldama, a Cuban-born triple jumper who has also competed for Sudan. "It doesn't matter what people say."
Both Porter and Aldama have been labeled "Plastic Brits" because they were born abroad. But one of Britain's best hopes for a gold medal at the London Olympics is another foreign-born athlete, Mo Farah.
"I don't think that question was acceptable. I think it was out of order," the Somalia-born distance runner Farah said. Farah won the 5,000-10,000 double at the European Championships and a 5,000 meter world title in South Korea.
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