Ama Pipi: Turning Goals into Reality

“Pure integrity, courage, character and powerful.”

Those are the words that sprints coach Ronnye Harrison uses to describe Ama Pipi, the soft-spoken but confident junior from London, England, who will be making her first NCAA Indoor championship appearance in the 200-meter dash this Friday.

Two words that Harrison didn't mention, but could also be adequately applied are desire and determined. Determined to be the best in the sport she loves. And determined to put in the work necessary to get there.

Pipi started running track later in life at age 14, after winning all of the middle school races, and with some encouragement from a P.E. teacher to join the local track team. In the years that she's competed since then, she's quickly learned the tricks of the trade and what it takes for her to get from where she is to where she wants to be.

“I've been doing this sport for a while and I've seen what it takes to become a great athlete. I think what drives me is the fact that I actually enjoy racing. I like racing fast people. In order for me to race fast people, I have to become fast myself. It's kind of a constant battle with who can be the fastest. I want to be one of those people. I think that is what motivates me to keep pushing. I'm going to nationals but I'm not No. 1. I have to work even harder to maintain that level of fitness and speed.”

“She doesn't just want to race anybody, she wants to race the best people,” explains Harrison. “She knows now, maybe more than last year, that that's where she belongs.”

It was that determination and that desire that led Pipi to travel the 4,644 miles from London to Norman, Okla., more than two years ago.

That's how far Pipi travelled to enroll at the University of Oklahoma to pursue her dream, knowing nothing about the city or university she would call home. To be honest, the only similarities between Norman and London, the capital city of England with a population of over 8 million people, may be the iconic red telephone booths that adorn the campus. What led her to the United States and more specifically The Sooner State was her desire to compete among the best.

“I literally knew nothing about the University of Oklahoma and the colleges in the United Statesin general. What I did know was that the competition in America was going to be way bigger than what I've had before and that was what attracted me in the first place.”

Since arriving on campus in January 2015, she has found a way to connect her two worlds and has immersed herself in campus life beyond the track through music. Pipi says music has always been a big part of her life. She started singing in youth group and at church, and that interest has carried over into her life here in Norman. She has performed at the OU African Student Association's African Queen Pageant as well as the Black Girls Rock.

Academically, she found her calling in sociology. Studying sociology gives her a chance to get different perspectives on how others live life. Pipi is cognizant of her fortunes. She hopes to be a positive influence and use her degree to find a way to give back to the community.

“I'm big on growth and there are so many kids in this world that haven't had the opportunities that I've had. I've had two parents growing up at home who looked after me and loved me. There are so many kids that don't have that and it affects them in the future in their life. I really want to help them, motivate them and tell them that they can get out of any situation regardless of where you're from.”

Pipi also finds inspiration through books and is currently reading a book on how to live life wholeheartedly.

Perhaps it is her acquired wisdom and steadfast belief in herself and her abilities that has contributed to how she has approached this season.

If you can believe it, Pipi had two specific goals coming into this season- to qualify for nationals and to run a 23.20.

Prior to this indoor season, Pipi was an outdoor scorer in the 100- and 200-meter dash, a two-time outdoor scorer in the 4x100-meter relay, an outdoor scorer as well as a Big 12 champion in the 4x400-meter relay, and an indoor scorer in the 4x400-meter relay and 200-meter dash. Her personal best time indoors in the 200-meter was 23.90. She had qualified for outdoor nationals in the 200 meter, but never before for indoors.

“Last year, after coming home from Olympic Trials and not making the team, I was hungrier than ever,” recalls Pipi. “Being at nationals (outdoor) my sophomore year in the 200-meter and not making the final, again, I was hungry to come back and prove myself. I decided I was going to work harder. I really wanted to make indoor nationals, I wrote it down. I see it everyday and I worked toward it everyday. My goal was 23.20. I wrote it down. It's on my mirror and everything. I see it everyday. I wanted to run a 23.20 indoors and I knew I would be close to making it to nationals. When I ran 23.19, I was pretty excited about that. I'm not going to lie.”

Her two goals came to fruition in one run, when she ran a 23.19 at the Big 12 Indoor championship in the 200-meter final. That one run got her to the NCAA and the top step of the awards stand as Big 12 champion. She became the first woman in Sooner school history to win the 200-meter title in the Big 12.

Pipi recalls the race and how she was able to capture the crown.

“I was definitely ready to race. I wasn't scared; I wasn't nervous. I was going to give 100 percent. One thing that I've been doing a lot this year is staying within my focus and not being too tense when I'm racing. When I wasn't first, I didn't panic. I just kept with it.”

That weekend she also competed in the 60-meter dash and ran the opening leg of the 4x400-meter relay, finishing as a Big 12 indoor scorer in both events. Through it all, Pipi remained focused and in the moment, never losing sight of what she wanted to achieve.

To Harrison, though, the fact that Pipi achieved both goals isn't a surprise. Seeing the work that Pipi puts in and the drive that she has, this was to be expected.

“The change that I've seen in Ama in terms of her improvement could almost be predicted because of how consistent she's been at working at getting better" Harrison says.

“In practice she competes. She competes with herself. I have all of the athletes assess each rep and be mindful of each rep that they do. I think Ama is one of the people who truly works on each rep to be faster, better and more efficient than she was on the previous rep. I think that carries over into the meet so much that she's never really thinking about her competition. She's thinking about how to do this better.”

He continues, “Ama is a consummate learner. Her progression is almost predictable. She's going to get better because she's going to do the things that you ask her do. She's going to ask questions. She's going to be open about how she is feeling, good or bad, and those are usually the people who become great in this sport. They don't fear competition because they trust their training.”

Pipi's preparation and mentality is what has carried her to the indoor championships this Friday and Saturday, where she will have her chance to realize what she's worked so hard to achieve.

“The way I'm going to attack this indoor meet is, again, I feel like I have to prove myself. I want to make the final because I want to be against the fastest people in the nation. With the focus that I have this year, I think it can be done.”

And what will that moment be like for Pipi when she finally sets her feet in the starting blocks at Texas A&M's Gilliam Indoor Stadium to race her 200-meter semifinal?

“Somewhat surreal. When you work so hard for something, it's definitely very humbling to see your hard work pay off. And excitement.”