Francine Niyonsaba
Francine Niyonsaba|
Niyonsaba in 2016 |
| Personal information |
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| Nationality |
Burundian |
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| Born |
(1993-05-05) May 5, 1993 |
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| Height |
1.61 m (5 ft 3 1⁄2 in) |
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| Weight |
56 kg (123 lb) |
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| Sport |
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| Sport |
Running |
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| Event(s) |
800 meters |
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| Achievements and titles |
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| Personal best(s) |
800 m: 1:56.59 |
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Francine Niyonsaba (born May 5, 1993) is a Burundian track and field athlete, specializing in the 800 metres. 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 .01 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 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 metres lead on the pack.[1]
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.[2]
References
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