(03-08-23) MOGADISHU – 20-year-old, Nasra Abukar Ali, the young woman who represented Somalia in the running competition at the World University Games in Chengdu, China, has given her first interview since the failure and ensuing scandal.
Nasra Abukar Ali completed the race in 21.81 seconds, a performance that caught the world’s attention, as she fell behind the winner by a whole ten seconds.
The athlete, who was branded the ‘slowest-ever’ in the women’s 100 metres, spoke to journalist Munasar Mohamed on Thursday, giving detailed insights into the controversy that has cast a shadow over Somali athletics.
In her interview, Nasra emphatically denied being sent by the athletics association, stating that she competed for Jobkey University in Mogadishu. “I am competing for a university, and the competition was World University Games. I was selected by chairman Araale, and the Athletic Federation has no job for the selection or the process,” said Nasra. She added that she had trained for a month and was selected through a fair process, emerging first in university competitions. Nasra also defended Khadijo Aden Dahir, the suspended Somali Athletics Federation Chairwoman, asserting that she had no role in her selection.
She further explained her struggles on the field, revealing that she ran while injured. “I was running to you injured, it’s not worth running before now while we were on the field, I got sick. I competed for you with an injury and my muscle strain,” she lamented.
Though Nasra took the name of Somalia to the international stage, she was met with failure, something she says is “normal.” Despite her attempt to become a heroine for her country, she ended up at the centre of a national controversy.
Rumours of Nasra being pregnant had surfaced, leading to further scandal. She dismissed these claims, stating, “When I heard this, I was surprised because I am a girl.” She also refuted claims by the Sports Minister, Mohamed Barre Mohamud, who had stated he wasn’t aware of her participation in the competition, asserting that he was indeed involved: “The minister knew that he and I met at the airport.”
The fallout from Nasra’s performance led to the suspension of the national athletics federation chairwoman, Khadija Aden Dahir, who was said to be a relative of Nasra. Her story went viral and brought an unflattering spotlight on the state of athletics in Somalia.
In a defiant statement, Nasra Abukar Ali said: “Somalis do not deserve to be represented in a running competition, I ran with a sprained leg, but I am criticized.”
The incident has generated much debate and anger in Somalia and abroad, even leading to the strike of the athletes. The episode has also raised questions about the support and infrastructure provided to athletes in the country, and the path to recovery for Somali athletics seems fraught with challenges.
