Tokyo 2020 / Athletics Tokyo 2020 / Athletics: Niyonsaba, from inspiration to nightmare

Francine Niyonsaba is one of the great African athletes of the midfield. Born in Burundi, his record shows an Olympic silver medal at the 2016 Rio Games, after Caster Semenya (gold) and ahead of Margaret Wambui (bronze). A historic podium not only because of the Olympic aspect, but because the three athletes were fully affected by the World Athletic regulations, which forced them to choose between two options to continue competing. Either they were treated medically to avoid their natural production of excessive testosterone, or they made the jump to long distances, where it is assumed that this superior segregation does not provide advantages over other women.

The case of Semenya and her crusade in court is well known, but not so much the case of Francine Niyonsaba, who decided that she would not be treated because “I did not choose to be born that way, and I like the way I am.” Silver in Rio and in the 2017 World Cup, and twice world champion of indoor track in the 800 meters, therefore she took the route of the competition and announced that she would jump to 5,000 to try to win a place in the Tokyo Games . And he achieve it. Niyonsaba, 28, took part in the 5,000-meter semifinals yesterday after doing 14.54: 00 in Montreal, well below the 15.10 required to be in Japan. And not only that, the athlete from Burundi, very active in her series, achieved her pass to the final, so in the mixed zone she declared that “I wanted to be here and be an image that inspires girls like me, especially in the girls of Africa ».

But the African drama regarding the Games and the World Athletics was not over. While she was attending to the media in the mixed zone, the results appeared on a screen behind her, and Francine Niyonsaba appeared as disqualified in the last line. A detail that she did not appreciate when her back was to the image, but a journalist who asked her about it. Surprised, she replied to see what he was talking about. When she turned and looked at the monitor, her expression of absolute bewilderment led her to undertake a tour of the bowels of the stadium in search of help, someone from the Burundi delegation to help her and help her to review a disqualification for stepping on the inner zone of the rope during the 5,000 meter series.

This morning, Niyonsaba has ventured on social networks. «My dream of being in the final has been shattered. Where is the Burundi team leader when you need him most? The American team of the mixed relay was disqualified and they managed to overturn the decision. Why didn’t they do the same for me? Right now I feel very lonely. Burundi needs new sports leaders, and it needs them now for the good of sport in our country. His example of overcoming has not served him to fight for the medals, the nightmare continues.