Florence Niyonkuru
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| Born | 2001 (age 24–25) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Long-distance running | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Florence Niyonkuru (born 2001) is a Rwandan long-distance runner.[1] She won the silver medal over 10,000 metres at the 2026 African Championships in Athletics and the bronze medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the first medal won by a Rwandan athlete since the country joined the Games.[2]
Biography
In June 2025, Niyonkuru won the women's half marathon at the 20th edition of the Kigali International Peace Marathon, held on 8 June, finishing in 1:13:57.[3] The following month, she won the 10,000 metres title at the Rwandan Championships, running 32:23.29.[4]
In April 2026, Niyonkuru claimed won the Elite Women's 10,000m at the TCS World 10K in Bengaluru, India.[5] In May, she won the 10,000 metres silver medal at the 2026 African Championships in Athletics in Accra, Ghana, finishing behind Diana Wanza of Kenya.[6][7] She was selected as part of the Rwanda team for the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, winning the country's first-ever medal at the senior edition of the Games when she took bronze at the women's 10,000 metres, behind Wanza and Rose Davies of Australia.[8][9][10]
References
- ↑ "Niyonkuru Florence wins Rwanda's first ever medal at the Commonwealth Games". zoliberry.com. Retrieved 2026-08-23.
- ↑ "Florence Niyonkuru". World Athletics. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Rwanda's Niyonkuru claims half marathon gold as Kenya's Korir reclaims Kigali marathon crown". Eastleighvoice. 8 June 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Rwandan Championships". World Athletics. 19 July 2025. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "Rwanda's Niyonkuru wins gold in Bengaluru". newtimes.co.rw. 26 Apr 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ "African Athletics Championships 2026: Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire sweep 4x100m relay events, Kenya's Diana Wanza takes 10,000m gold". Olympics. 15 May 2026. Retrieved 16 May 2026.
- ↑ "Relay breakthroughs and surprise performances at African Championships in Accra". World Athletics. 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
- ↑ "Africa: The Commonwealth's Greatest Prize Lies Beyond the Games". All Africa. 23 July 2026. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
- ↑ Crumley, Euan (27 July 2026). "ROSE DAVIES' PATIENCE PAYS OFF TO STRIKE 10,000M GOLD". Athletics Weekly. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Florence Niyonkuru makes history for Rwanda in Glasgow". Glasgow 2026. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.