Francine Niyonsaba, Portland 2016 WC gold, leads team from Burundi

Francine Niyonsaba wins Portland 2016, photo by PhotoRun.net

BUJUMBURA (BDI): Defending champion in women 800 m Francine Niyonsaba leads the team of Burundi. Two other members are Antoine Gakeme for menÂ´s 800 m and Thierry Ndikumwenayo for 3000 m.

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RunBlogRun opines: I have an affection for athletes from newer nations. Burundi is a small African country with an amazing history in athletics. Remember Venuste Niyongabo? Venuste took the 1,500m in Goteborg, then, the 5,000 meters in Atlanta. Now a manager for Nike in Italy, Venuste was one of my first interviews of global athletes. My school boy French helped me with Venuste then, who spoke French and a bit of English.

Francine Niyonsaba is a tremendous talent in the 800 meters. She will be formidable in Birmingham.

Venuste Niyonsaba, photo by PhotoRun.net

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Alfonz Juck
Alfonz Juck is a husband, father, statistician, announcer, journalist, organizer, agent usw, following track and field since 1972. EME NEWS is a news service relating to the sport of athletics. It is published on daily basis with additional updates, as required. Copyright is held by Alfons Juck, TOP ATHLETICS, a.s., Krikova 10, 82107 Bratislava, Slovakia. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The redistribution and/or direct reproduction of material from EME NEWS is prohibited unless permission is given by c TOP ATHLETICS (such as being included in a subscription agreement).
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