 Niyonsaba at the2016 Rio Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1993-05-05)5 May 1993 (age 32) Nkanda Bweru,Ruyigi Province, Burundi[1] |
| Height | 1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[2] |
| Weight | 60 kg (132 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Burundi |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event(s) | Middle-,Long-distance running 800 meters (–2019) |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personalbests | |
Francine Niyonsaba (born May 5, 1993) is aBurundianrunner who specialized in the800 metres and shifted to longer distances in 2019. She was the2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist in the women's800 metres. Her silver medal was the first Olympic medal for Burundi since 1996. Niyonsaba won a silver in the event at the2017 World Championships.
She is a two-time 800 m world indoor champion, having won 800 m in2016 and2018. After her move to longer distances, Niyonsaba finished fifth over the10,000 metres at the2020 Tokyo Olympics. With a time of 5:21.56, Niyonsaba holds theAfrican record in the2000 metres, set in 2021, along with sevenBurundian records. Her 2000 metres time was previously the world record until it was broken byJessica Hull in 2024, who ran 5:19.70.
In 2019,World Athletics announced that Niyonsaba would not be allowed to compete under the female classification in events between 400 metres and one mile due toits regulations on XY DSD athletes with naturally hightestosterone levels.[3][4]
Francine Niyonsaba quickly rose to prominence in 2012 while still a teenager. The first time she set the800 metres record was in late June 2012 while narrowly winning the2012 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 the2012 Diamond League meeting atHerculis.[6]
During the2012 London Olympics, Niyonsaba reduced her own 800 m record to 1:58.67 on 9 August, in thesemi-final round. It was a 0.01 seconds improvement on her previous record. Two days later, she finished seventh (subsequently upgraded to fifth as a result of the doping disqualifications of Russian athletesElena Arzhakova andMariya Savinova) in the final. Less than a month later, she took the record down to 1:56.59.
In 2016, Niyonsaba won the800 meters at the2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships with a time of 2:00.01. Competing at theSummer Olympics held inRio de Janeiro later that year, she claimed her first Olympic medal, a silver in the women's 800 m in a time of 1:56.49, behindCaster Semenya of South Africa. Niyonsaba finished second in 800 meters seven race series ofDiamond League.[7] She improved her personal best to 1:56.24 at theHerculis meet inMonaco.
In 2017, Niyonsaba earned a new personal best and national record at the Monaco Diamond League after winning the 800 m there in a time of 1:55.47 on July 21. With this time, she was the world leader heading into the2017 World Championships in Athletics in London. At the event, she won a silver with a time of 1:55.92. She led throughout the majority of the race, but Caster Semenya used her phenomenal final kick to pass the Burundian on the home stretch once again and win gold.
In 2019, it was revealed that Niyonsaba was born with the 46,XYkaryotype and anintersex condition after her qualification forIAAF women's competition was ruled out by the association's new regulations for athletes withXY differences of sexual development, testosterone levels above 5 nmol/L, and androgen sensitivity.[3][8] Due to her stress fracture, Niyonsaba missed the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Oregon.[9]
She was one of the athletes whose cases were profiled inPhyllis Ellis's 2022 documentary filmCategory: Woman.[10]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | African Championships | Porto-Novo, Benin | 1st | 800 m | 1:59.11 | NR |
| Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 4th | 800 m | 1:59.63 | ||
| 2016 | World Indoor Championships | Portland, United States | 1st | 800 mi | 2:00.01 | WL |
| Olympic Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 2nd | 800 m | 1:56.49 | ||
| 2017 | World Championships | London, United Kingdom | 2nd | 800 m | 1:55.92 | |
| 2018 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, United Kingdom | 1st | 800 m i | 1:58.31 | WLNR |
| African Championships | Asaba, Nigeria | 2nd | 800 m | 1:57.97 | ||
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | – | 5000 m | DQ | TR 17.3.2 |
| 5th | 10,000 m | 30:41.93 | NR |
African Champions in women's800 metres | |
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