Competitiveness forms the pillar for most athletes to grow in their respective sports. Therefore, rivalries are a crucial aspect of sports. It is one factor that helps athletes achieve better timings and smash world records. The crowd witnessed such an instance at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships when Favour Ofili and Abby Steiner competed in the 200m event.

When one participates in sporting events, it sets the stage for a competitive mindset. Likewise, the rivalry between Ofili and Steiner was always apparent to the crowd as the two athletes are always neck-to-neck in the events they compete.

The outcome of the 200m race between Ofili and Steiner

However, the outcomes would vary each time, and the difference was usually in the hundredths of a second. This time, too, the crowd witnessed a similar scenario when both athletes competed in the 200m dash. Ofili is the current collegiate record holder with a personal best of 21.96 at the event. It makes her the lone collegiate athlete to complete the 200m in under 22 seconds. Meanwhile, her rival from Kentucky track and field program holds the US indoor record in the event with a time of 22.09.

Earlier in most events, the two athletes would take a significant lead from their opponents, finishing much ahead of other competitors. Therefore, at the time of the final event, it was apparent that the main competition would be between the two.

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And that is exactly how the event turned out to be. Right as the gun went off, both Ofili and Steiner pulled off an impressive start, and the two athletes took the lead in no time. The two were almost level pegging till the halfway mark. However, Ofili puts in a little more effort to open a gap between the two once past the halfway point. Not willing to give up, Steiner closes in on the LSU athlete as both of them near the finish line. However, the gap created by the Nigerian Olympic athlete was too much for Steiner to recover.

The 200m dash concluded with Ofili declared the winner with 22.04 seconds. Meanwhile, Steiner finished second, completing the event in 22.07 seconds. This makes the LSU athlete the new record holder in the women’s 200m race at the SEC championships. However, both times were among the all-time collegiate top-10 in the event.

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Next major meet to feature Abby Steiner and Ofili

It was a magnificent showdown, and both athletes gave it their best, running more than a tenth of a second faster than the previous record at the meet. Talitha Diggs secured the third position in the event with 22.64 seconds.

In addition, Favour Ofili beat Steiner in the 100m race by nine-hundredth of a second by posting 10.93 seconds. Their next races will be highly anticipated given their impressive performance at the SEC Outdoor Championships. And with less than a month remaining for the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, it will be worth watching who comes out on top at the events.

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