Thierry Ndikumwenayo (born 26 March 1997) is a Spanish-Burundian

long-distance runner Long-distance running, or endurance running, is a form of continuous running over distances of at least . Physiologically, it is largely Aerobic exercise, aerobic in nature and requires endurance, stamina as well as mental strength. Within e ...

, most well-known for his

cross-country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open coun ...

results.

Biography

Junior Athlete (- 2016)

Ndikumwenayo was introduced to athletics in 2012 by a friend, who challenged him to a race. By 2014, as a 17-year-old, he won the silver medal in the boys' 3000 metres event at the

2014 Summer Youth Olympics The 2014 Summer Youth Olympics (), officially known as the II Summer Youth Olympic Games , and commonly known as Nanjing 2014 ( zh, c=南京2014, p=Nánjīng Èr Líng yī sì), were the second Summer Youth Olympic Games, an international sports ...

held in Nanjing, China. After that performance, he was invited to train in Spain as part of a project offering opportunities to Burundian and Sudanese runners. He subsequently became a member of Playas de Castellon athletics club, who paid for his accommodation. During this time, he continued representing Burundi, coming 7th in 5000m at the 2015 African Junior Championships, and 9th in the 2015 All-Africa Games. In 2016, he came 7th in the 5000m at the African Championships, and ran 28:14 for 4th at the 10km

Corrida de Houilles The Corrida de Houilles, officially ''Corrida pédestre internationale de Houilles'' (Houilles International Footrace), is an annual 10K run that takes place at the end of December in Houilles, France. The competition was created in 1972 by Alexa ...

2017 - 2021

Ndikumwenayo's 2017 season included his first taste of international cross country racing, placing 95th in the senior men's race at the 2017 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Kampala, Uganda. He also ran a then personal best 5000m time at the Gala dei Casteilli in Bellinzona (13:25.55). In 2018, Ndikumwenayo competed at his first world indoor championships. He went out in his 3000m heat. He also competed at the ECCC Championships, winning the 5000m and coming second over 3000m for Playas de Castellon. In 2019, he competed in the senior men's race at the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships held in Aarhus, Denmark, finishing in 9th place, an improvement of 86 places on two years earlier. This performance qualified him for the

2019 World Athletics Championships The 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships () was the seventeenth edition of the biennial, global athletics competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since renamed World Athletics. It was held betw ...

held in Doha, Qatar, but he did not finish his race in the 10000m. Later that year, he won the men's race at the

Cross Internacional de la Constitución Cross Internacional de la Constitución is an annual cross country running event which is held in early December in Alcobendas, Spain. The competition was first held in 1982 and began attracting top-level elite distance runners from the 1990s onw ...

held in Alcobendas, Spain. His 2020 and 2021 seasons were both curtailed by the implications of the

COVID-19 Pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, which meant that he did not race outside of the Iberian Peninsula. During this period, he set a marginal PB over 5000m with 13:25.30, and won the 2021

Almond Blossom Cross Country The Almond Blossom Cross Country ( pt, Cross Internacional das Amendoeiras em Flor) is an annual international cross country running competition which takes place in Albufeira, in the Algarve region of Portugal, in early March. It is one of the IAA ...

. In the latter part of 2021, however, he failed to display much form in cross country; his best place was 6th in the Cross de Atapuerca, and he came a disappointing 36th at the

Cross Internacional de Italica A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

, held in Santiponce, Sevilla.

2022 - Present

2022 was Ndikumwenayo's breakthrough season. He started the year with a 10km PB in Castellon of 28:04, and went on to win the Gran Premio Campo a Traves in Serradilla, Spain. He ran as a pacemaker in the

Barcelona Half Marathon eDreams Mitja Marató de Barcelona or Barcelona Half Marathon is an annual half marathon arranged in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Organised by RPM Sports and Amaury Sport Organisation, ASO, it is held at the beginning of April, and in 2022 it attr ...

and

Madrid Marathon The Rock 'n' Roll Madrid Marathon ( es, Maratón de Rock 'n' Roll Madrid) is an annual marathon race which takes place in Madrid, Spain, in late April. The event was first held in 1978 and has since gained IAAF Gold Label Road Race status and ha ...

. Ndikumwenayo began his track season in May at the Desafio Nerja, and ran a near-19 second 5000m personal best of 13:06.58. Three weeks later, he marginally improved his best time over the distance at the

Meeting Iberoamericano The Meeting Iberoamericano de Atletismo () is an annual track and field meeting held at the Estadio Iberoamericano in Huelva, Spain since 2005 by the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation. It is typically held in mid-June. The name of the meeting ste ...

in Huelva, placing third in 13:06.46. The improvements in his times and performances gained him an entry to the

Golden Gala Pietro Mennea Golden Gala is an annual track and field event normally held at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. Following the 2013 death of Italian sprinting legend Pi ...

in Rome (his first

Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

race), where he ran a PB and NR of 12:59.39 for 8th. He raced several more times on the Diamond League circuit over the course of that year: he was 2nd at the

Meeting de Paris Meeting de Paris (formerly known as the Meeting Areva and Meeting Gaz de France) is an annual track and field meeting at the Stade Sébastien Charléty in Paris, France. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamon ...

5000m (13:05.24) and finished 5th over 3000m at the Bauhaus-Galan (7:34.91 PB), before suffering an injury setback which ruled him out of the

2022 World Athletics Championships The 2022 World Athletics Championships was the eighteenth edition of the World Athletics Championships. It was held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, United States, from July 15–24, 2022, with the country hosting that competition for the f ...

in Oregon. He later shocked an incredible field to win his first ever Diamond League race in the

Herculis The Herculis is an annual track and field meet at Stade Louis II in Fontvieille, Monaco. Previously one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events, it is now part of the Diamond League. World records Over the course of its history, five world reco ...

3000m. He ran a Burundian national record, a world-leading time, and Diamond League record to win in 7:25.94. He came 11th in the 5000m at the

Memorial Van Damme The Memorial Van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium, that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now the final event of the Diamond L ...

(13:10.71), and competed in the Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League Final, but did not finish the race. His 2022 cross country season began with 3 successive victories in the Cross Internacional de Soria, Cross de Atapuerca and Cross de Italica, at about which time he gained Spanish citizenship.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ndikumwenayo, Thierry Living people 1997 births Place of birth missing (living people) Burundian male long-distance runners Burundian male cross country runners World Athletics Championships athletes for Burundi Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics 21st-century Burundian people