Fatimat Yusuf-Olukoju

Biography

1996 Olympic silver medalist, 1990 World Junior champion and 1991 All African Games gold medalist Fatimat Yusuf-Olukoju is a volunteer sprints coach for UC Riverside's Track & Field program and enters her third year in 2024-25. In Yusuf-Olukoju's first year with the Highlanders, UCR's record book saw new top 10 entries to the 200m, 400m and 800m, including two new men's top-10 times in the 400m and 800m. Family ties entered the picture in 2023 with both her son (Daniel) and daughter (Raykiyat) signing for UCR. Raykiyat broke the school's 200m record four times and the 100m once, while winning a Big West title with the Highlanders' women's 4x400 relay squad. Yusuf-Olukoju, a fitness professional for over 30 years, owns Village Coach Fitness in Riverside. A decorated professional track athlete from 1988 to 2000, Yusuf-Olukoju is a 2x All-Africa Games gold medalist, also winning gold, silver and bronze at the African Championships while currently holding the African record for the 4x400. She earned a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta in the 4x4 relay while placing sixth in the 400m final with a time of 49.77. She ran for Azusa Pacific from 1994 to 1996 and received her bachelor's in social work. She was a 10-time NAIA All-American and seven-time NAIA Champion in the 200 meters and 400 meters as a member of the Cougars' track and field program. She was inducted into the APU Hall of Fame in 2007.