Somali athlete finishes 100-metre race in 21 seconds, sparks controversy

Nasra Abukar Ali, who is said to be 20 years old from Somalia, ran the 100-metre heat in 21.81 seconds. She finished dead last in the race

How slow does a runner have to finish a race before it becomes a scandal?

A video has surfaced showing a Somalian woman being outrun by such a huge distance that she was not even in the frame when the 100-metre race ended for other participants.

What was the event?

The viral incident happened during The FISU World University Games, which is held for student-athletes every two years. This year, it is being held in Chengdu, the capital of the Chinese province of Sichuan.

The video of the agonizingly slow run by Nasra Abukar was shared across social media, causing fury online and accusations of nepotism.

 

The Ministry of Youth and Sports should step down. It's disheartening to witness such an incompetent government. How could they select an untrained girl to represent Somalia in running? It's truly shocking and reflects poorly on our country internationally. pic.twitter.com/vMkBUA5JSL

— Elham Garaad ✍︎ (@EGaraad_) August 1, 2023

What happened during the event?

Nasra Abukar Ali, 20, came dead last at the race, taking almost twice as long to finish as the winner, Brazil’s Gabriela Mourão.

Her time of 21.81 seconds – more than 10 seconds behind the winning time of 11.58 seconds – has been widely described in international media as the “slowest-ever” time in the history of the 100m.

Aftermath of the race

On Wednesday, Sports Minister Mohamed Barre Mohamud said that he had suspended Somali Athletics Federation Chairwomen Khadijo Aden Dahir for “abuse of power, nepotism, and defaming the name of the nation”, and would take legal action over the incident.

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

Mohamud further said that inquiries with the National Olympic Committees revealed that Ali had no background in running or any other sport.

He further said there was no registered Somali University Sports Association without elaborating on the group’s connection to the competition.

Meanwhile, the Association of Somalia Universities said in a statement that it had not sent runners to the competition.

Who is the athlete?

The Somali press describes Nasra Ali Abukar as an "untrained" athlete with limited racing experience.

There have been allegations the woman is the niece of the vice-president of the Somali Athletics Federation, Khadija Adan Dahir, and that her selection for the World University Games was purely due to nepotism.

Online outrage

Nasra Abukar’s performance prompted ridicule and disbelief online, with some social media users holding it up as an example of the corruption and incompetence of the Somali government.

"It’s disheartening to witness such an incompetent government. How could they select an untrained girl to represent Somalia in running? It’s truly shocking and reflects poorly on our country internationally," wrote one disgruntled social media user, Elham Garaad, whose tweet with a video of the race went viral.

"Immediately I saw the potbelly, I started laughing. This girl hasn't walked fast in her life, talk more of run any kind of race," commented another user.

"Wow. Somalia is known for Marathon runners if I'm not wrong?" asked a third user.

"She has never run a day in her life," another user wrote.