# Farhan Hadafo

> Farhan Hadafo: Somali-Italian para-athlete, Somalia's first Paralympian at Rio 2016 and T52 100m African record holder.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/farhan-hadafo/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who is he?

Farhan Hadafo Adawe is a Somali-Italian para-athlete who became Somalia's first athlete at the Paralympic Games ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farhan_Hadafo)). He was born in Somalia in 1996 or 1997, the son of a mechanic, with arthrogryposis, a condition that stiffens the joints (same source).

## Early life

At six he was sent to live with aunts in Italy for surgery, which eased his pain, though he still uses a wheelchair ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farhan_Hadafo)). He grew up in Turin and took up para-athletics, competing in the T52 class (same source). See [Somalis in Italy](/en/diaspora/italy/).

## Career

He set an Italian record of 18.83 seconds in the T52 100 metres, enough to qualify for the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farhan_Hadafo)). He ran for Somalia because he did not yet hold Italian citizenship, and his 18.49 seconds set an African record, though he did not advance from his heat (same source). He was named International Somali Award Sportsman of the Year in 2017, won bronze in the 100 metres at the 2018 World Para Athletics European Championships, and had become an Italian citizen by 2020 (same source). See [Somalia at the Olympics](/en/society/somalia-at-the-olympics/).

## In short

Somalia's first Paralympian, a Turin-raised sprinter who set an African record in Rio.

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