Internet Reacts as 'Untrained' Sprinter Competes in International Event
A clip from the World University Games in Chengdu, China went viral after showing the alleged niece of the Somali Athletics vice-president Khadija Adan Dahir trailing behind professional runners while competing in the women's 100m race.
The losing runner, whose name is Nasra Abubakar Ali, can be seen struggling to keep up with the other competitors, still running while the others cross the finish line. At one point, she gives up, beginning to walk after realizing there's no point in continuing to sprint.
Elham Garaad, the Twitter user who shared the viral clip captioned it, "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."
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
— Elham Garaad ✍︎ (@EGaraad_) August 1, 2023
As of the time of writing, the tweet has 43,400 likes and 19,200 quote-tweets, with plenty of hilarious responses to the shocking clip.
One user quipped, "When I read the caption I assumed they were being too hard on her but what the f*** is she actually doing," to which someone provided a silver lining, noting, "Every athletic competition should have one normal person competing to show how impressive the professionals are."
Others chalked it up to "nepo babies" also existing in the sports world, with this being the "wildest" example anyone has ever seen.
That "woo that was a workout!" skip at the end had me inconsolable https://t.co/HxFAiYfxDD
— 🦦✨America Is Musty✨🦦 (@DragonflyJonez) August 1, 2023
You know how everyone says we need one average human in each Olympic event to really highlight how unreal athletes are? Somalia went ahead and trialed that idea for us and I’m more on board than ever 😭 https://t.co/FrY47aXrgC
— 🦄🧜🏾♀️🌈 (@KopanoMashishi) August 2, 2023
She might have not won the race, but she won the idgaf war https://t.co/iz5Tc07o2n
— jona (@brotherjona) August 1, 2023
Lol this is a fascinating kind of nepo corruption. No real prestige. Instead, you just embarrass yourself in front of a global audience! https://t.co/egR6oZ4fQI
— Sturgeon's Law (@Sturgeons_Law) August 2, 2023
I’ve seen nepotism, but this is the wildest I’ve seen my entire life! They’re saying that she’s the niece of the President of the Somali Athletics Federation 😭. https://t.co/rLvUFbgc6Y
— Achola (@epicstevens_) August 2, 2023
Hours after the video went viral, the Association of Somali Universities shared a statement on Facebook, confirming that it had not sent a runner to represent the country in the international competition, stating in a post translated to English, "Therefore, we call on the people who are spreading fake news to consider the news that is not based on the facts and they are spreading the media."
According to the BBC, Ali finished the race in 21.81 seconds, more than 10 seconds after the other runners. It is the slowest 100-meter dash in the event’s history, according to the Daily Somalia, via Forbes.
It also noted that the woman reportedly did not have any previous experience in athletic competitions.
The Sports Minister Mohamed Barre Mohamud shared a statement with the BBC, expressing his regret over the situation. "What happened today was not representation of the Somali people…we apologise to the Somali people," he said of selecting Ali.
Per the outlet, The Somali Athletics Federation has reportedly agreed to launch an investigation into how she was selected. Forbes reports the ministry has reportedly suspended the chairwoman of the Somali Athletics Association for sending Ali.
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