WATCH: Somalia suspends official after this runner ran the ‘slowest 100m ever’

A Somalian sports official has been suspended after a video of an amateur sprinter competing at an international competition went viral.

The video, shared widely on social media, shows Nasra Abubakar Ali’s effort to compete in the 100-metre sprint at the World University Games in China.

She is noticeably slow, and reportedly took almost twice as long as the winner to finish the race. Even her jubilant jump at the end of the race could not hide the embarrassment felt in Somalia at the incident.

According to Daily Mail, it is being claimed as the ‘slowest-ever’ 100m time by a Somalian athlete at an international competition. 

The BBC said an investigation into the incident by the Somali Ministry of Youth and Sport found Ali is “not a sports person, nor a runner”.

Somali Athletics Federation Chairwomen Khadijo Aden Dahir was suspended over the debacle for “abuse of power, nepotism, and defaming the name of the nation”, reported Al Jazeera.

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The sports ministry also indicated it would look at legal action over the incident.

Slow but inspirational

It comes seven years after Somalian runner Maryan Nuh Muse lost the women’s 400 metres race at the Olympics by over 19 seconds.

She was seen as an inspiration and example of beating the odds. The Indepedent UK detailed how Muse trained inside a venue once used for executions by a terrorist group, and ran on gravel tracks meant to be roads.

There was less praise for Ali’s performance online, with many South Africans slamming Somalia’s sports ministry.

Here’s a look at some of the reactions: