Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Gr ...

participated in the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

, held in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

from 8 to 24 August 2008. It was Burundi's fourth appearance in the summer Olympics since its debut in 1996. The Burundi team included three athletes: runners Joachim Nshimirimana and Francine Niyonizigiye, as well as swimmer Elsie Uwamahoro. Niyonizigiye, a marathon runner, was flag bearer for the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

. None of the Burundi athletes progressed further than the qualifying round.

Background

Burundi had participated in three previous Summer Olympics, between its debut in the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

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and the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. At its debut, the country sent seven athletes to the games, all of whom competed in

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

. The largest number of Burundian athletes participating in the summer games is seven in 1996 and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

. The only Burundian competitor to win a medal at the Olympics was Vénuste Niyongabo, who won gold in the men's 5000 metres in 1996. Three athletes from Burundi were selected to compete in the 2008 Olympics: Joachim Nshimirimana in the men's marathon, Francine Niyonizigiye in the women's track and field 5000 metres and Elsie Uwamahoro in the women's 50 metre freestyle swimming.

Athletics

Men's competition

At the 2008 Olympics, Burundi was represented by one male in athletics, marathon runner Joachim Nshimirimana. At age 35, Nshimirimana was the country's oldest competitor, and was competing at his second Olympics. He competed in the 2004 Olympics, also in marathon. He competed on the 24 August in Beijing, and finished 68th out of 95 in a time of 2hours, 29minutes and 55seconds, over 23minutes behind the winner, Samuel Kamau Wanjiru.

Women's competition

Francine Niyonizigiye, Burundi's flag bearer at the opening ceremony, competed on Burundi's behalf at the Beijing Olympics, in the women's 5000metre races. Born in 1988, Niyonizigiye was 19 years old at the 2008 Olympics. Niyonizigiye previously competed in the 2004 Olympics, also in the 5000 metres. During the qualification round, which took place on August 19, Niyonizigiye competed in the sixteen-person second heat. She finished the race in 17minutes, 8.44seconds, finishing in fourteenth place, the last of the finishing athletes, after

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

's Yelena Zadorozhnaya was disqualified. Niyonizigiye finished just under aminute behind thirteenth placing Hungarian Krisztina Papp. The heat itself was led by

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

's Meseret Defar (14minutes 56.32seconds). Of the 32 competitors to finish the event's first round, Niyonizigiye ranked 31st. She did not advance to later rounds.

Swimming

Burundi had one woman competing in swimming at the 2008 Olympics, Elsie Uwamahoro, who competed in the 50-metre freestyle. Beijing was Uwamahoro's first Olympics. She was selected to compete in the second heat on 15 August. Uwamahoro finished seventh out of eight athletes in her heat, in a time of 36.86seconds. She finished ahead of Mariama Souley Bana from

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesPalestine and

Karishma Karki Karishma Karki ( ne, करिश्मा कार्की) (born July 18, 1993, in Bansbari, Kathmandu, Nepal) is a Nepali Olympian swimmer. Karki participated in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. She had already created a Nepali national record ...

from

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

who swam 31.97and32.35seconds, respectively. Her time placed her 86th out of 90 athletes and she did not qualify for the semi-finals.

Notes

References

{{Country at games navbox, Burundi, Summer Olympics Nations at the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...