She visited the Haugen skole, where her sprinting talent was discovered on a sports school day.

On 19 August, the same year, she won the golden medal over 100 metres in the Norwegian National Championships, running the time of 11,71 seconds.

During the National Championships in Norway in 2006, Okparaebo defended the gold from 2005, and at the same time set a new personal record of 11.70.

During another meeting in June in Florø she beat Olympic and World Cup medalist Merlene Ottey at 100 meters when she ran in at 11.43.

The season started with the indoor European Championship in Torino, where she won the silver at 60 meters, and set a new Norwegian record of 7.21.

In the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, she easily qualified for the quarterfinals by being second in her experimental heat at the time of 11.35.

During the 2010 European Athletics Championships in Barcelona, she again set a new Norwegian record of 100 meters with the time 11.23 in the semi-final.

In the experimental heat during the 2011 World Championships in Athletics in South Korea, Okparaebo set a new Norwegian record with the time 11.20.

During the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, there was a new Norwegian record of 11.14 in the opening session (fourth place), which made her move on to the semi-finals on time.

She came in sixth place at 100 meters in the Diamond League meeting at Bislett Games on 13 June.

She participated in the 2013 World Championships in Athletics in Moscow, where she ran her season best in the qualifying heat with time 11.23.

In the Norwegian Championship in Athletics 2013 in August, she won gold at 100 meters for the ninth time in her career.

[6] Okparaebo opened the season on 1 February, with 7.18 seconds on 60 meters in an IAAF indoor event in Karlsruhe.

[13] During the IFAM conference indoors in GGhent on 7 February, Okparaebo won 60 metres with the time 7.24.

[14] In March, she participated in the 2015 European Athletics Indoor Championships in Prague, where she qualified for the final with 7.17 in the opening session and 7.15 in the semifinal.

In the final, she ran in at 7.10 and set a new Norwegian record, and ended in fourth place, 0.01 second behind German Verena Sailer who got the bronze medal.

[18] Okparaebo ran here with Isabelle Pedersen, Ida Bakke Hansen and Elisabeth Slettum, and they came in seventh place.

[20] Okparaebo won the 60 meters in National Championships in Athletics Indoors 2016, which was arranged in the Rudhallen in Bærum.

She launched the outdoor season 30 April in Clermont, Florida, United States, in PURE Athletics Spring Invitational, where she ran 100 meters at 11.28 and met the required time for Summer Olympics 2016 [21] In July she participated in 2016 European Athletics Championships .

She ran at 11.43 in the quarter finals during the Summer Olympics 2016 in Rio, but came fourth in her heat, and did not move on to the semi-final.

[24] She was told in December 2016, shortly before Christmas, that she won't be sponsored for 2017 from Norway's Athletics Federation, despite being their best female sprinter.

Outdoors, she participated in two competitions in Germany in May, where she ran 100 meters, and managed the qualification requirement for the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin.