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Nafissatou Thiam

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Nafissatou "Nafi" Thiam (French pronunciation: [tʃam]; born 19 August 1994[5]) is a Belgian athlete specialising in multi-event competition. She is the first athlete with three multi-event gold medals at the Olympic Games, winning the heptathlon at the 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympics.[6] Her three individual Olympic golds in a row for a woman equals the record of Anita Wlodarczyk of Poland in the hammer and Faith Kipyegon in the 1500 metres[7] Thiam is also the only Belgian athlete to successfully defend an Olympic title.[8]

Nafissatou Thiam
Thiam at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene
Personal information
Born (1994-08-19) 19 August 1994 (age 30)[1]
Brussels, Belgium[1][2]
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Weight69 kg (152 lb)[1]
Sport
CountryBelgium
SportAthletics
Event(s)Heptathlon, Pentathlon
ClubRFCL
Coached byMichael Van der Plaetsen (2022–)[4]
Roger Lespagnard (2008–2022)
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking1st (2023)
Personal bests
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Belgium
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 3 0 0
World Championships 2 1 0
European Championships 3 0 1
European Indoor Championships 3 1 0
European U-23 Championships 0 1 0
European Jnr Championships 1 0 0
Total 12 3 1
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Heptathlon 8 1 1
Pentathlon 3 1 0
High Jump 0 1 0
Total 11 3 1
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Heptathlon
Gold medal – first place 2020 Tokyo Heptathlon
Gold medal – first place 2024 Paris Heptathlon
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 London Heptathlon
Gold medal – first place 2022 Eugene Heptathlon
Silver medal – second place 2019 Doha Heptathlon
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Berlin Heptathlon
Gold medal – first place 2022 Munich Heptathlon
Gold medal – first place 2024 Rome Heptathlon
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Zürich Heptathlon
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Belgrade Pentathlon
Gold medal – first place 2021 Torun Pentathlon
Gold medal – first place 2023 Istanbul Pentathlon
Silver medal – second place 2015 Prague Pentathlon
European U23 Championships
Silver medal – second place 2015 Tallinn High Jump
European Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2013 Rieti Heptathlon

She won gold at the 2017 and 2022 World Championships, the 2018, 2022 and 2024 European Championships as well as the silver medal at the 2019 World Championships. Thiam was voted IAAF World Female Athlete of the Year in 2017. She was a Belgian flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

In May 2017, at the Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, Austria, Thiam became only the fourth woman to break the heptathlon 7000-point barrier.[9] In March 2023, at the European Indoor Championships, on her way to a record third European pentathlon title, she set a world record with a score of 5055 points.[10][11] In doing so, Thiam became the first ever Belgian woman to set an official athletics world record.[12]

As of March 2023, Thiam holds the Belgian records in the heptathlon and pentathlon, javelin and long jump (out and indoors). She holds the world record for the high jump discipline within the heptathlon competition, set in 2019.

Career

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Junior career

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Thiam at the 2013 European Junior Championships held in Rieti, Italy

Nafissatou Thiam was born in Brussels to a Belgian mother and a Senegalese father. She started participating in athletics when she was seven years old, winning her first national age group titles in 2009, by which time she was already specializing in the heptathlon. Her favorite athlete at the time was Swedish heptathlete Carolina Klüft.[13]

At the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics in Lille, France, Thiam finished fourth in the heptathlon with a total of 5366 points. Then, as a first-year junior, she finished 14th at the 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics in the heptathlon with a total of 5384 points.[5]

On 3 February 2013, Thiam broke the junior world indoor record in the pentathlon at a meeting in Ghent with a total of 4558 points, breaking her personal best in four of the five events.[14] Carolina Klüft, who later became Olympic champion and triple world champion, had held the record since 2002 with 4535 points. In doing so Thiam became the first Belgian female athlete to break a world record.[15] However, in March 2013, the record was not ratified due to a lack of anti-doping control on the day it was achieved. The testing took place the next day, which was beyond the deadline specified by the IAAF, athletics' international governing body.[16]

On 18 July 2013, she won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the European Junior Championships in Rieti, Italy achieving a new Belgian record of 6298 points.[5]

Senior career

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In 2014, Thiam won the bronze medal for the heptathlon at the European Athletics Championships staged in Zürich, Switzerland.[5]

In 2015, she won the silver medal in the pentathlon at the European Indoor Championships held in Prague and also claimed silver in the high jump at the European Under-23 Championships in Tallinn, Estonia.[5]

 
Nafi Thiam at the 2017 European Indoor Championships staged in Belgrade, Serbia

On 13 August 2016, Thiam won the gold medal for the heptathlon at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro with a score of 6810 points, achieving personal best marks in five of the seven disciplines and defeating reigning Olympic and world champion Jessica Ennis-Hill of Great Britain.[17] At 21-years-old, she was the youngest Olympic heptathlon gold medalist in history.[18][19] She was elected Belgian flag bearer at the Olympic closing ceremony.[20]

On 3 March 2017, Thiam won the pentathlon at the 2017 European Indoor Championships in Belgrade with a total of 4870 points.[5]

On 28 May 2017, she won the heptathlon at the Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, Austria with a score of 7013 points, again achieving personal best scores in five of the seven disciplines, making her the fourth woman to score 7000 points or higher in competition. As of July 2017, she was third on the world all-time list behind Jackie Joyner-Kersee of USA and Sweden's Carolina Klüft. Her 59.32m javelin throw in Götzis broke the Belgian record for the women's individual event.[18]

On 6 August 2017, Thiam went into the World Championships in Athletics in London as hot favorite and won the heptathlon world title, becoming the first Belgian to win a World Athletics Championship gold medal.[18]

 
Nafi at the 2018 Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, Austria

On 10 August 2018, she won the gold medal at the European Athletics Championships,[5] becoming only the third woman to win Olympic Games, World and European Championships in the heptathlon, after Carolina Klüft and Jessica Ennis-Hill.

On 27 June 2019, Thiam won the heptathlon competition at the Décastar meeting held in Talence, France setting a women's heptathlon high jump world record of 2.02 m (6 ft 7 1⁄2 in).[21]

On 2 October 2019, she went again into the World Athletics Championships as world leader and favourite for gold, but was expected to face stronger competition than in 2017 from erstwhile rival and 2018 European runner-up, Great Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson. In the event, Thiam succumbed to an elbow injury that hindered her javelin, while Johnson-Thompson recorded a huge personal best of 6981 points, a national record and the sixth highest competition score in history to win comfortably. Thiam's performance was still good enough for the silver medal.

On 5 March 2021, she won the pentathlon at the European Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland with a total of 4904 points.[22]

On 5 August 2021, at the postponed 2020 Tokyo Games, she successfully defended her Olympic title with a score of 6791 points.[5]

 
Thiam jumps over the bar at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon

At the 2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon, Thiam claimed her second world gold medal on 18 July with a total of 6947 points.[23]

On 3 March 2023, at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul, she broke the pentathlon world record set in the same Ataköy Arena back in 2012 by Ukraine’s Nataliya Dobrynska (5013 points), totalling a score of 5055 points. With her third European indoor title, Thiam became the most successful female pentathlete in history of this championships.[10][11]

During the 2024 Paris Olympic game, she became the first athlete to win 3 consecutive gold medal in heptathlon.

Training and personal life

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Thiam is a member of RFCL Athlétisme, an athletics club operating under the aegis of the Technical and Sports Department of the Royal Football Club de Liège. She was coached by Belgian former decathlete Roger Lespagnard[24] for 14 years but she put an end to their collaboration in October 2022.[25]

Besides being a professional athlete, Thiam studied geography at the University of Liège.[26] "I like climatology, I like geomorphology – how the earth is shaped by rivers. A lot of subjects, like a heptathlon. Maybe that's why I love it." she said.[27] She graduated from university with a bachelor degree in September 2019.[28]

Thiam is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF Belgium.[19]

Achievements

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Thiam with javelin at the 2018 European Championships in Berlin
 
Nafi Thiam lands a long jump at the 2023 European Indoor Championships in Istanbul
 
Thiam after setting a pentathlon world record with a score of 5055 points at the 2023 European Indoor Championships in Istanbul

All information from World Athletics profile unless otherwise noted.[5]

International competitions

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Representing   Belgium
Year Competition Venue Position Event Result Notes
2011 World Youth Championships Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France 4th Heptathlon 5366 pts
European Youth Olympic Festival Trabzon, Turkey 9th (q2) Long jump 5.50 m
11th Javelin throw 40.62 m (45.60 q)
2012 World Junior Championships Barcelona, Spain 14th Heptathlon 5384 pts
2013 European Indoor Championships Gothenburg, Sweden 6th Pentathlon 4493 pts
European Team Championships First League Dublin, Ireland 1st High jump 1.89 m
12th Javelin throw 40.72 m
European Junior Championships Rieti, Italy 1st Heptathlon 6298 pts NR
World Championships Moscow, Russia 14th Heptathlon 6070 pts
Jeux de la Francophonie Nice, France 4th High jump 1.83 m
2014 World Indoor Championships Sopot, Poland 8th High jump 1.90 m
European Championships Zürich, Switzerland 3rd Heptathlon 6423 pts
2015 European Indoor Championships Prague, Czech Republic 2nd Pentathlon 4696 pts PB
European U23 Championships Tallinn, Estonia 2nd High jump 1.87 m
World Championships Beijing, China 11th Heptathlon 6298 pts
2016 European Championships Amsterdam, Netherlands 4th High jump 1.93 m
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – High jump DNS
1st Heptathlon 6810 pts WL NR
2017 European Indoor Championships Belgrade, Serbia 1st Pentathlon 4870 pts WL
World Championships London, United Kingdom 1st Heptathlon 6784 pts
2018 European Championships Berlin, Germany 1st Heptathlon 6816 pts WL
2019 World Championships Doha, Qatar 2nd Heptathlon 6677 pts
2021 European Indoor Championships Toruń, Poland 1st Pentathlon 4904 pts WL NR
Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 1st Heptathlon 6791 pts SB
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 1st Heptathlon 6947 pts WL
European Championships Munich, Germany 1st Heptathlon 6628 pts
2023 European Indoor Championships Istanbul, Turkey 1st Pentathlon 5055 pts WR
2024 European Championships Rome, Italy 1st Heptathlon 6848 pts CHB
Olympic Games Paris, France 1st Heptathlon 6880 pts SB

Circuit wins

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Personal bests

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Outdoor
Event Performance Points Venue Date Notes
100 m hurdles 13.21 s 1093 Eugene, OR, United States 17 July 2022
High jump 2.02 m 1264 Talence, France 22 June 2019 WHB
Shot put 15.54 m 897 Paris, France 8 August 2024
200 metres 24.37 s 945 Gaurain-Ramecroix, Belgium 18 May 2019 [note 1]
Long jump 6.86 m 1125 Birmingham, United Kingdom 18 August 2019 NR[note 2]
Javelin throw 59.32 m 1041 Götzis, Austria 28 May 2017 NR
800 metres 2:10.62 min 956 Paris, France 9 August 2024
Heptathlon 7013 pts PB total: 7321 Götzis, Austria 28 May 2017 NR, 3rd of all time
  1. ^ Mark set in separate competition outside of heptathlon. Heptathlon best: 24.39 s.
  2. ^ Mark set in separate competition outside of heptathlon. Heptathlon best: 6.67 m.
Indoor
Event Performance Points Venue Date Notes
60 m hurdles 8.23 s 1077 Belgrade, Serbia 3 March 2017
High jump 1.96 m 1184 Belgrade, Serbia 3 March 2017
Shot put 15.54 m 897 Istanbul, Turkey 3 March 2023
Long jump 6.79 m 1102 Liévin, France 1 March 2020 NR
800 metres 2:13.60 min 913 Istanbul, Turkey 3 March 2023
Pentathlon 5055 pts PB total: 5173 Istanbul, Turkey 3 March 2023 WR

National titles

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Honours and awards

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In 2017, Thiam officially became UNICEF Ambassador.[41]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Nafi Thiam". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
  2. ^ "Page 12 Nafissatou Thiam" (PDF). Ligue Belge Francophone d'Athlétisme. 15 August 2016.
  3. ^ "THIAM Nafissatou". Paris 2024 Olympics. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Thiam to target scores and records in the next chapter of her career". European Athletics. 2 November 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Nafissatou THIAM – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Historic Olympic heptathlon hattrick for Thiam". European Athletic Association. 9 August 2024. Retrieved 10 August 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  7. ^ In een bijzonder exclusief lijstje als tweede vrouw ooit: deze toppers gingen Nafi Thiam voor met historische hattrick
  8. ^ "Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium reigns supreme in Olympic heptathlon". www.olympics.com. 2021. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Thiam breaks 7000 barrier in Gotzis". European Athletics. 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  10. ^ a b Adams, Tim (3 March 2023). "Nafi Thiam sets world record in greatest ever pentathlon". AW. Retrieved 6 March 2023. Adrianna Sułek held the world pentathlon record for six seconds but Nafissatou Thiam now claims that coveted crown.
  11. ^ a b "Greatest pentathlon ever! Thiam 5055 points and Sulek 5014 points in Istanbul". European Athletics. 2023. Retrieved 3 March 2023.
  12. ^ "EK atletiek: het wereldrecord van Nafi Thiam is niet het enige goede nieuws" (in Dutch). Knack. 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Thiam Nafissatou" (PDF) (in French). Ligue belge francophone d'athlétisme. 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  14. ^ Vande Weyer, Philippe (3 February 2013). "Nafissatou Thiam bat le record du monde junior du pentathlon indoor". Le Soir. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  15. ^ Jacobs, Hans (5 February 2013). "Is de nieuwe Tia Hellebaut opgestaan?". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  16. ^ "Le record du monde junior de Nafissatou Thiam, établi à Gand, ne sera pas homologué". Le Soir (in French). 20 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
  17. ^ "Nafi Thiam kroont zich tot olympisch kampioene op de zevenkamp" (in Dutch). Sporza. 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  18. ^ a b c "Nafissatou Thiam". Red Bull. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  19. ^ a b "About". Nafi Thiam. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  20. ^ "The Flagbearers for the Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony". 21 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  21. ^ "A new record for Nafissatou Thiam". Focus on Belgium. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  22. ^ "Thiam regains European indoor pentathlon title with world-leading 4904". World Athletics. 5 March 2021. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  23. ^ "Rojas, Kipyegon and Thiam add to their legendary status in Oregon". World Athletics. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  24. ^ "Thiam Nafissatou" (PDF). Ligue belge francophone d'athlétisme. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  25. ^ "Nafissatou Thiam se sépare de son coach historique Roger Lespagnard". www.lequipe.fr. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
  26. ^ "Nafissatou Thiam cumule les récompenses !". Université de Liège. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Nafissatou Thiam". RedBull.com. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
  28. ^ "Nafi Thiam a son diplôme en poche : "Désormais je me consacre entièrement à l'athlé"". La Libre. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  29. ^ "Nafissatou Thiam sacrée étoile montante européenne" (in French). 2010.
  30. ^ "Jonathan Borlée en Nafissatou Thiam winnen Gouden Spike" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. 4 December 2013.
  31. ^ "8e (!) Gouden Spike voor Nafi Thiam, 2e voor Bashir Abdi" (in Dutch). Sporza. 26 March 2022.
  32. ^ "Nafi Thiam is de 'Belofte van het jaar' van 2013" (in Dutch). AtletiekNieuws. 22 December 2013.
  33. ^ "HERBELEEF hoe Nafi Thiam en David Goffin met de hoofdprijzen gingen lopen op het Sportgala" (in Dutch). Het Laatste Nieuws. 16 December 2017.
  34. ^ a b "Nafissatou Thiam | Connaître la Wallonie" (in French). Connaître la Wallonie. 10 November 2016.
  35. ^ « Nafissatou Thiam remporte le trophée "Rising star" de l'athlé européen », Sport/Foot Magazine, 16 octobre 2016.
  36. ^ "Nafi Thiam désignée "Rising Star" par l'IAAF" (in French). RTBF. 2 December 2016.
  37. ^ "Le trophée du Mérite sportif à Thiam" (in French). RTC Télé Liège. 10 November 2016.
  38. ^ "The 30 Under 30 EUROPE: Youngest". Forbes. 2017.
  39. ^ "Thiam named female World Athlete of the Year at IAAF Athletics Awards". European Athletics. 25 November 2017.
  40. ^ "https://histoiresroyales.fr/roi-philippe-remet-grand-officier-ordre-de-leopold-nafissatou-thiam/". Nafi Thiam (in French). 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  41. ^ "Stats". Nafi Thiam. Retrieved 29 July 2019.
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Olympic Games
Preceded by Flagbearer for   Belgium
(with Félix Denayer)
Tokyo 2020 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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