The slowest 100m runner admits he's not strong enough to compete
On August 3, Munasar Mohamed Abdi - Somali journalist currently living in Sweden - posted on Facebook an online interview with Abukar about her achievements when she went to Chengdu, China to attend FISU.
In this interview, Abukar said that she offered to represent Somalia at FISU, because many of these women were afraid of participating in sports activities and the 100m distance did not attract female athletes.
The 20-year-old revealed that she only had one month to prepare for the tournament in China. "One month is never enough to prepare the best for a race. I'm not fit enough for a quick sprint," says Abukar.
Abukar stressed that the Somali Sports Minister knew she would compete at FISU, and even met with ministry officials at Aden Adde International Airport in the capital Mogadishu, before leaving for China.
On the 100m run in Chengdu, China over the weekend, Abukar was far behind by his opponents and finished in the end with a time of 21 seconds 81, 10 seconds slower than Brazilian athlete Gabriela Silva. According to British newspaper Sportmail, this is the worst 100m running achievement recorded in the history of international competitions.
"Now I'm a laughing stock for not winning. If I finished first, they would never turn me down," Abukar added.
Abukar - a student at Jobkey University in Mogadishu - admitted to having difficulty competing against seasoned and well-trained opponents. She affirmed that she is not afraid of criticism and insults and is ready to continue to represent Somalia in international competitions in the future, if given the opportunity.
Video recording the race has been circulating on social networks since the evening of July 31, prompting criticism from Somalia's Ministry of Youth and Sports for sending runners lacking both experience and preparation to a big event. Abukar is said to be the granddaughter of the Vice President of the Somali Athletics Federation, Khadija Adan Dahir, and her selection to participate in the tournament in Chengdu this summer is purely a "son of father".
Before the storm of criticism, the Somali Ministry of Youth and Sports Barre Mohamud publicly apologized and described the incident as "a disgrace to the Somali people". The ministry said an investigation had determined that Abukar was not a professional sprinter, nor was he registered with the National Olympic Committee.
According to the African news site TRT Afrika, the Somali government has fired the Vice President of Athletics Federation Khadija Adan Dahir after a video of Abukar competing went viral on social media. The government official said it would continue to open further investigations to determine why Abukar was included in the list of athletes representing Somalia at FISU.
