Thierry Ndikumwenayo, the athlete who made the Council of Ministers run: "I can try the world record"

«In my country, in Burundi, there were many very fast athletes, but there were no competitions or tracks.

It was very difficult to progress and earn a living in athletics, ”says

at the end of a training session in the Pinar de Castellón park and smiles.

After all, Ndikumwenayo is already Spanish.

The Council of Ministers decided the day before yesterday to grant him a passport by letter of nature as he did before with other athletes such as

,

or

with only one difference: Ndikumwenayo was unknown when the process began.

But but but.

"He made the request almost three years ago," acknowledges the athlete and his request could continue as it was, forgotten in a drawer, if it had not been for the noise - the noise! ​​- This August.

At the Monaco meeting of the Diamond League he not only won the 3,000 meters, he also set the best world record of the year, well below

.

Three months later, that is, this Wednesday, his nationalization was made official in the BOE.

"We cannot talk about express nationalization of Thierry because he has lived in Spain for seven years, when he was 18, and he made the request almost three years ago, but it is true that he has not come forward until he has become a top athlete", recognizes his current coach,

, founder of Playas de Castellón, the best club in Spain and a key entity in the rise of Ndikumwenayo.

The call from Alicante

From a teenager who "didn't run" in the second poorest country in the world to one of the Spanish candidates for medals at the 2023 Budapest World Cup or the 2024 Paris Olympics. How?

To start with a call.

“As a child I played football at school and I wasn't interested in athletics, I didn't run.

But one day a friend challenged me, we ran and I liked it.

Two years after I started running, when I was 17, I won silver in the 3,000 meters at the 2014 Youth Olympics and a Spanish coach,

, invited me to train here.

That's how I came to Spain," recalls Ndikumwenayo.

From the outset, the Burundi Athletics Federation refused to allow him to travel: he was very young and the risk of flight was high.

But in the end he gave in.

And in 2015, the already Spanish middle-distance runner entered the Solbes CET Plan2Win project, a kind of NGO that from Alicante offered opportunities to runners from places like Sudan or Burundi.

First there were three months of stage, then six, and in the end Ndikumwenayo stayed to live in Spain with a contract with Playas de Castellón and a flat set up by the club.

The course picked up speed and there was a first attempt to take off in 2019: he was ninth in the Cross Country World Cup, won in the Alcobendas cross and Burundi called him for the Doha World Cup.

All set for the best.

But soon after, Ndikumwenayo's world came crashing down on him.

In the midst of the World Cup, Solbes was made an offer to coach Qatar, he was left alone in Alicante, the pandemic isolated him even more and a problem with his residence permit did the rest.

"He was pissed off.

He had a bad time at that time.

I was almost retired, I am 69 years old, I did not want to complicate my life, but his situation made me feel bad and I invited him to come to Castellón », recalls Ortuño, who admits his surprise at what he experienced this year.

From hare to star

After two seasons of low profile and after earning a living like a hare in asphalt events such as the Madrid marathon or the Barcelona half marathon, Ndikumwenayo slipped into the Diamond League this year and boom!

In June, in Rome, he fell under 13 minutes in the 5,000 meters - he would have been the third Spaniard of all time », finished second in Paris, fifth in Stockholm and closed with victory in Monaco.

Suddenly star.

Suddenly, almost three years after requesting it, Spanish.

And now that?

"Slowly.

Before Thierry suffered a lot in competition due to pressure, one day he retired because two rivals overtook him, and now that has changed: he is confident, he is comfortable, he is launched.

But you have to go little by little.

We have not yet decided what will run this winter, "says Ortuño.

Ndikumwenayo, who won the Soria cross last Sunday, on the other hand, wants the Moon: “I think I can win medals and lower my times.

At my age, I can attempt the 3,000m world record."

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

• Articles Javier Sanchez

• Burundi

• Minister council

• Castellon