A video from the recent women’s 100 m sprint at the World University Games in China is going viral for all the wrong reasons.
Finishing in last place by what seemed like a country mile, Somalian runner Nasra Abukar Ali has apparently set a new record at the event, with her 21.81-second run believed to be the slowest sprint ever recorded by the FISU.
And to be fair, calling it a “sprint” is a bit of an overstatement.
The seemingly unprepared athlete finished a whole 10 seconds behind the winner of the race, jogging her way to the finish line.
An untrained runner from Somalia has reportedly set a new record for the slowest 100m sprint after competing at the @FISU World University Games đź‘€
Nasra Abukar Ali posted a time of 21.81 seconds, finishing a full 10 seconds behind the winner⏱ pic.twitter.com/95KOoCrapm
— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 3, 2023
The 20-year-old’s run was so slow that Somalia’s sports minister, Mohamed Barre Mohamud, publicly apologized on Wednesday.
The minister also ordered that Khadijo Aden Dahir, the chairwoman of the national track and field federation, be suspended in a letter addressed to the Somali National Olympic Committee and tweeted by the ministry.
Suspension of the Chairwoman of the Somali Athletics Federation, Ms. Khadijo Aden Dahir pic.twitter.com/UZsO0A4UiA
— Ministry of Youth and Sports of Somalia (@MoysFGS) August 2, 2023
When Mohamud addressed the issue, he stated that his ministry had no knowledge of how Abukar Ali was selected to participate in the prestigious event without proper training or preparation. This has since raised questions about the selection process and the criteria used to choose athletes to represent the country at international competitions.
In the report about Dahir, she is accused of “abuse of power, nepotism, and defaming the name of the nation.”
There have also been allegations of the young sprinter being a relative of Dahir’s, allowing her the chance to compete because of it, The Associated Press reported.
The ministry also intends to “pursue legal action” against the chairman of the country’s athletics federation and any other “individuals responsible for falsification of the Somali University Sports Association.”
To make matters worse, on Tuesday, the Association of Somalia Universities said it had not sent any runners to China as part of an official team.
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