TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A slow runner at the World University Games in China has gone viral and left many raising their eyebrows after not performing to the levels of her competitors.
Nasra Abukar Ali competed in the 100-meter sprint after being chosen to run for Somalia at the games.
The video shows the untrained sprinter competing on Tuesday. Ali immediately falls behind her competitors and completes the race 10 seconds behind the winner, skipping across the finish line after a 21-second sprint.
Many criticisms have followed the viral video, with some Twitter users chiming in, accusing the federation of nepotism.
“Well this is corruption and she is the niece of the athletic federation director,” one user claimed, following allegations Ali is related to the chairwoman of the nation’s athletic federation.
Another user replied to a Twitter post with a screenshot that read, “Every Olympic event should include one average person competing for reference.”
The competition in China suspended the chairwoman of the nation’s athletic federation, Khadijo Aden Dahir after the video went viral.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the Somali Ministry of Youth and Sports cited abuse of power from Dahir and claimed that “Nasra Abukar Ali is not a runner.”