This Somali Runner Was So Slow To Finish An International 100-Meter Race And People Have Questions
Reports suggested the runner, Nasro Abukar Ali, had been chosen to compete as she is related to the chairwoman of the Somali Athletics Federation.
Somalia has suspended the chairwoman of its athletics federation after a seemingly untrained and non-athlete runner took part in an international university sport competition.
The incident occurred during the third heat of the first round for the women’s 100-meter race at the International University Sports Federation’s (FISU) Summer World University Games in China on Tuesday, Aug 1.
In a video that has now gone viral, the woman runner, Nasro Abukar Ali, is left behind, out of frame, almost immediately as she is outpaced by her fellow competitors before the camera pans back to capture her jogging across the finish line with a celebratory hop skip.
Ali finished with a time of 21.81 seconds, more than 10 seconds slower than heat winner Gabriela Silva of Brazil.
A statement released by the Sports Ministry said that preliminary investigations found that Ali is not a “sports person nor a runner”.
Reports suggested that Ali had been chosen to compete as she is related to Khadijo Aden Dahir, the chairman of the Somali Athletics Federation who was suspended.
The sports ministry said Dahir had “defamed the name of Somalia on the international arena” through abuse of power and nepotism”.
It said it plans to pursue legal action.
A TV interview from last week showed Ali appeared not to have been expecting to run for 100 meters.
“My name is Nasra Abukar Ali and I’m very happy to represent Somalia. I will be running 10 meters in China. I hope that I can win,” she said in the interview with Dalsan TV.
Somalia’s university union also confirmed it had not sent any runners to the competition in China as part of an official Somali team.
“What happened today was not a representation of the Somali people… We apologize to the Somali people,” Somalia’s sports minister said.
