Mathias Ntawulikura Explained

Mathias Ntawulikura (born 14 June 1964 in Gisovu/Karongi) is a retired Rwandan long-distance runner. He reached the World Athletics Championships final and participated in the Olympic Games in the 5000 metres (1988) and 10,000 metres (1992, 1996) and marathon (2000, 2004). He also participated five times in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.

His best Olympic performance was 8th in the 10,000 m at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, a race where the top eight positions were taken by (six) African countries.[1] He was forty when he competed in the marathon at the 2004 Athens Olympics; of the hundred men who started the race, he came 62nd with a time of 2hours, 26 minutes, 5 seconds.[2]

He is the first (and as of 2010, only) Rwandan to compete at five Olympic Games. The only African to compete in five Olympics before him was Egyptian shooter Mohamed Khorshed. In 2004, Ntawulikura joined three other track and field athletes - Nigerian Mary Onyali, Mozambican Maria Mutola, and Angolan João N'Tyamba in becoming the second African to compete at five Olympics.

He was affiliated with the Pro Patria Milano sporting club in Italy.

International competitions

Representing
1991World Indoor ChampionshipsSeville, Spain7th3000 m
World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan7th10,000 m
1992World Cross Country ChampionshipsBoston, United States13thLong race
1993World ChampionshipsStuttgart, Germany10th5000 m13:28.58
1995World ChampionshipsGothenburg, Sweden15th10,000 m
1996Olympic GamesAtlanta, United States8th10,000 m
2000London, United Kingdom7thMarathon2:09:55
Olympic GamesSydney, Australia15thMarathon2:16:39
2001Edmonton, CanadaMarathonDNF
2003Paris, France49thMarathon2:18:44
2004Athens, Greece62ndMarathon2:26:05

Personal bests

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20200418010647/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/nt/mathias-ntawulikura-1.html Mathias Ntawulikura at Sports Reference
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417173707/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/summer/2004/ATH/mens-marathon.html Mens Marathon at Sports Reference