The competition – which is taking place in China after it was initially scheduled for 2021 – witnessed a worrying display from one entrant who many claimed should never have been in the field. And it was clear from the off that Nasro Abukar Ali didn’t belong among her peers.
Ali lined up for the third heat of the 100-metre event sporting Somalia’s traditional blue colours and a modified hijab. If it wasn’t evident from her pre-race preparations that a landslide loss was incoming, it only took a couple of seconds for reality to set in.
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
Some spectators would be forgiven for thinking their eyes had failed them when the ‘competitor’ set off at a glacial pace, seemingly stuck in slow-mo compared to the other runners.
Brazil’s Gabriela Silva Mourao edged the heat with a winning time of 11.58 seconds, which was almost half Ali’s end result. The clock had long since disappeared from television screens when the Somalian skipped over the line, clocking a cringeworthy 21.81 seconds.
Elham Garaad – who uploaded footage of the race on Twitter – also posted screengrabs of Somalia Athletics Federation president, Dr. Khadija Adan Dahir, congratulating Ali on her summons to the sprint team.
She also pointed to a press release from the Union of Somali Universities Association, which affirmed they did not appoint a representative to compete in China.
Garaad criticised an ‘incompetent government’ and said the debacle ‘reflected poorly on our country internationally’. Ali soon became a laughing stock on social media, with one critic commenting: “This girl hasn’t walked fast in her life, talk more of run any kind of race.”
Source HarareliveS
