Francine Niyonsaba

Francine Niyonsaba

Niyonsaba at the 2016 Rio Olympics
Personal information
Born	(1993-05-05) 5 May 1993 (age 31) Nkanda Bweru, Ruyigi Province, Burundi[1]
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 in)[2]
Weight	60 kg (132 lb)
Sport
Country	Burundi
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Middle-, Long-distance running 800 meters (–2019)
Achievements and titles
Personal bests	400 m: 53.48 NR (2018) 800 m: 1:55.47 NR (2017) 2000 m: 5:21.56 AR (2021) 3000 m: 8:19.08 NR (2021) Two miles: 8:59.08 NR (2022) 5000 m: 14:25.34 NR (2021) 10,000 m: 30:41.93 NR (2021)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Burundi Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 800 m World Championships 2017 London 800 m World Indoor Championships 2016 Portland 800 m 2018 Birmingham 800 m Diamond League 2021 5000 m African Championships 2012 Porto Novo 800 m 2018 Asaba 800 m

Francine Niyonsaba (born May 5, 1993) is a Burundian runner who specialized in the 800 metres and shifted to longer distances in 2019. She was the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist in the women's 800 metres. Her silver medal was the first Olympic medal for Burundi since 1996. Niyonsaba won a silver in the event at the 2017 World Championships.

She is a two-time 800m world indoor champion, having won 800m in 2016 and 2018. After her move to longer distances, Niyonsaba finished fifth over the 10,000 metres at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. With a time of 5:21.56, Niyonsaba holds the African record in the 2000 metres, set in 2021, along with seven Burundian records. Her 2000 metres time was previously the world record until it was broken by Jessica Hull in 2024, who ran 5:19.70.

In 2019, World Athletics announced that Niyonsaba would not be allowed to compete under the female classification in events between 400 metres and one mile due to its regulations on XY DSD athletes with naturally high testosterone levels.^[3][4]