Is Nia Ali going to Tokyo Olympics? 

The USA's jumbo 613-member squad for Tokyo Olympics 2020 features some famous mothers. Alex Morgan, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Diana Taurasi, Mariel Zagunis, Gwendolyn Berry, Allyson Felix and Quanera Hayes have all been confirmed to grace the Summer Games. But one mother who will not be seen in action is world champion and Olympic silver medalist Nia Ali.

Why is Nia Ali not participating at Tokyo Olympics 2020?

Nia Ali opted to sit out of the US Olympic Track and Field Trials 2021, held in June. She wishes to spend the next few months with her family, looking after her new-born son.

She was one of the favorites to win 100m hurdles at the trials. Had she qualified, she would have been a favorite in Tokyo too. At 32, she doesn't have time by her side. So, does she have any regrets?

Nia Ali says:

“I want people to understand you can balance track and motherhood."

When she was carrying her first child six years ago, Nia Ali was one of several female athletes penalized by Nike for being pregnant. But the sprinter is prioritizing her family this time around. She says:

“Having a baby doesn’t have to hold you back from achieving your goals.”

Nia Ali's previous Olympic performances and world championships

Nia Ali won silver in the 100m hurdles at Rio 2016. The finals were a memorable event for the US.

Brianna Rollins, Nia Ali and Kristi Castlin finished first, second and third respectively. They had emerged first in semifinals 1, 2 and 3 as well.

It was the first US clean-sweep in the 100m hurdles in Olympic history and their first 1-2-3 finish in any event since LaShawn Merritt, Jeremy Wariner and David Neville topped the men's 400m at Beijing 2008.

After winning gold in Rio, Nia Ali successfully defended her 60m hurdles title at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships. At the 2019 IAAF Outdoor Championships held in Doha, she won gold in 100m hurdles, with a personal-best time of 12.34s.

Nia Ali wanted to be in Tokyo to pursue a second Olympic medal, but the Coronavirus pandemic made her rethink. She decided to have her third child with her partner, Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse.

Nia Ali's career highlights include golds at the 2011 World University Games and NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships. At the USATF Indoor Championships, she has won two golds in 60m hurdles and two silvers in 100m hurdles.

Who could win gold in women's 100m hurdles at Tokyo Olympics?

While USA's Keni Harrison, Christina Clemons and Gabbi Cunningham will start as favorites to win the 100m hurdles, they will face stiff competition from Puerto Rico's Jasmine Camacho-Quinn.

World Athletics, in their blog '100 ones to watch in Tokyo: hurdles and steeplechase', named Jasmine Camacho-Quinn as an athlete to keep an eye on. Camacho-Quinn holds the Puerto Rican record with an impressive time of 12.32s. For context, that is 00.16s faster than Brianna Rollins' gold-medal run at Rio. If Jasmine Camacho-Quinn clinches gold at Tokyo, she would be the first Puerto Rican woman to win an Olympic medal in athletics.