Fatimat Yusuf-Olukoju Officially Named Full-Time Assistant Coach with Track & Field

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - 1996 Olympic silver medalist, 1990 World Junior champion and 1991 All African Games gold medalist Fatimat Yusuf-Olukoju has officially been named a full-time assistant coach with Highlander Track & Field.

Yusuf-Olukoju joined UCR as a volunteer assistant in 2022 and immediately made an impact while assisting with the Highlanders' sprints and relays teams.

"We are thrilled to be able to add Coach Fatimat as full-time coach for our program," Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Nate Browne said. "Our relationship goes back nearly 25 years when we competed in the same conference for rival schools. Her passion, experience and expertise are apparent to our staff and our student-athletes in her event group and the entire roster. Coach Fatimat will continue to help us elevate the men's/women's sprints and relays like she has since her arrival as a volunteer coach nearly three years ago. I want to thank Wes Mallette and Michelle Almazan for their commitment to our program in approving this hire."

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 (David) 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.

Raykiyat most recently won the 2024 Big West title in the 200m.

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 also placed sixth in the 200m with a time of 22.4 at the 1999 World Championship final, despite her current PR of 22.23.

Yusuf-Olukoju, a fitness professional for over 30 years, owns Village Coach Fitness in Riverside. She is an International Sports Science Association Certified Personal Trainer, Hardstyle Kettlebell Certified (HKC) and a Resistance Band Specialist, as well as certified in CPR/AED by the American Heart Association.

Yusuf-Olukoju 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. Throughout her career, she set the NAIA records; in the indoor (53.05) and outdoor (51.44) 400 meters and Azusa Pacific records in the 100 (11.36), 200 (22.74), and 400 (51.44) meters. She was inducted into the APU Hall of Fame in 2007.

Fatimat Yusuf-Olukoju Officially Named Full-Time Assistant Coach with Track & Field

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