Priscilla Lopes-Schliep

Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, née Priscilla Lopes, (born 26 August 1982) is a Canadian retired hurdler in track and field athletic competition. She was born in Scarborough, Ontario, and currently lives in Whitby.

Personal

Born in Scarborough, Ontario, Lopes-Schliep's heritage is Guyanese and Portuguese. She is the first cousin of soccer player Dwayne De Rosario.

Lopes-Schliep attended the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She married former University of Nebraska basketball player Bronsen Schliep in the fall of 2007. They currently reside in Toronto, where he practices dentistry.

Career In 2004 Priscilla became the 2004 NCAA Indoor Champion in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 7.82 as her personal best. Lopes-Schliep won a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in women's 100 m hurdles. It was the first medal for Canada in Athletics at the Summer Olympics since the 1996 Games and the first medal for a Canadian woman in Olympic track and field since the 1992 Games.

At the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, Lopes-Schliep won a silver medal in the 100 m hurdles in Berlin, Germany, in a time of 12.54s. She failed to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, having finished 7th in the 100m hurdles at the 2012 Canadian Olympic trials for track and field after she struck a hurdle and fell.

Genetics

Lopes-Schliep has the LMNA R482W gene mutation, and was diagnosed with Dunnigan-type Lipodystrophy. The diagnosis came from DIY research conducted by Jill Dopf Viles, an Iowa mother without any medical training but who had Emery–Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and who spotted physical similarities between herself and Lopes-Schliep, and encouraged her to undergo genetic testing. The results confirmed Dunnigan-type Lipodystrophy, and alerted Lopes-Schliep to a potential pancreatitis attack due to the high levels of fat in her blood, though this was avoided by modifying her diet.

Personal bests EventTime (sec)VenueDate50 metres hurdles 6.82 Stockholm, Sweden 21 February 200855 metres hurdles 7.51 Fresno, California, United States 21 January 200860 metres hurdles 7.82 Stuttgart, Germany 6 February 2010100 metres hurdles 12.49 Brussels, Belgium 4 September 200960 metres 7.23 Lincoln, Nebraska, United States 26 February 2005100 metres 11.44 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 19 July 2003200 metres (indoor) 23.50 Lincoln, Nebraska, United States 25 February 2006 All information taken from IAAF profile.