Francine Niyonsaba

Francine Niyonsaba

Niyonsaba at the 2016 Olympics
Personal information
Nationality	Burundian
Born	(1993-05-05) 5 May 1993 Nkanda Bweru, Ruyigi Province, Burundi[1]
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[2]
Weight	60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	800 meters
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800 m: 1:55.47[3]
Medal record Representing  Burundi Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 800 m World Championships 2017 London 800 m World Indoor Championships 2016 Portland 800 m 2018 Birmingham 800 m African Championships 2012 Porto Novo 800 m 2018 Asaba 800 m

Francine Niyonsaba (born May 5, 1993) is a Burundian runner who specializes in the 800 metres. She is a 2016 silver medalist in the 800 metres. Her silver medal was the first Olympic medal for Burundi since 1996. Niyonsaba finished second in 800 meters 7 race series of 2016 Diamond League.^[4] She improved her personal best to 1:56.24 at 2016 Herculis meet.

She is the National record holder in the event, improving her own record to 1:58.67 on August 9, 2012 in the semi-final round of the Women's 800m event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. It was a 0.01 seconds improvement on her previous record. Two days later she finished seventh (subsequently upgraded to sixth as a result of Elena Arzhakova's disqualification) in the 2012 Olympic final. Less than a month later she took the record down yet again to 1:56.59.

She had a quick rise to prominence in 2012 while still a teenager. The first time she set the record was in late June 2012 while narrowly winning the 2012 African Championships in Athletics in 1:59.11 in what was only her third competitive race. At that, she improved upon her own previous national record of 2:02.13, set in the qualifying round. In the opening round race, the inexperienced runner had opened up a 30 meters lead the pack.^[5]

Three weeks later on July 20, 2012, she improved the record again to 1:58.68 while finishing second at the 2012 Diamond League meeting at Herculis.^[6]

Niyonsaba carried the flag for Burundi at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. She concluded her competition with her first Olympic medal, a silver in the women's 800m in a time of 1:56.49, behind Caster Semenya of South Africa.

In 2017, Nyonsaba earned a new personal best and national record at the Monaco Diamond League after winning the 800m there in a time of 1:55.47, on July 21. With this time she was the World No. 1. heading into the 2017 World Championships in London.

At the World Championships in London she won a silver in the women's 800m in a time of 1:55.92. She led throughout the majority of the race, but Caster Semenya used her phenomenal final kick to once again pass the Burundian on the home stretch and win gold.

References

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Olympic Games
Preceded by Diane Nukuri	Flagbearer for  Burundi Rio de Janeiro 2016	Succeeded by Incumbent