Burkina Faso had their most successful World Athletics Championships last time out when the country’s greatest athlete, triple jumper Hugues Fabrice Zango, took silver – an improvement on the bronze he gained in 2019.
No other Burkinabe athlete has ever won a medal at the championships, and having also won the country’s first Olympic medal, at the Tokyo Games, Zango is now eyeing the gold that has so far eluded him on the world stage.
However, his main rival, Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo, is still around and the reigning Olympic and world champion is in good form, having set a national record when winning the European Indoor Championships in March.
Also hoping to jump into history is Zango’s compatriot Marthe Koala, whose 6.94m leap is the 10th-longest long jump in the world this season.
It is a mark that makes it unlikely she will win gold, but perhaps proves that the country is focusing on the jumping events as it eyes athletics success.
Nigeria won its first ever World Championship gold in Oregon thanks to Tobi Amusan, with the 100m hurdler breaking the world record in her semi-final en route to glory.
