Sport
Farhan Hadafo
Farhan Hadafo Adawe is a Somali-Italian wheelchair sprinter who became Somalia's first Paralympian at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, where he set an African record in the T52 100 metres. He was born in Somalia and grew up in Turin.
Who is he?
Farhan Hadafo Adawe is a Somali-Italian para-athlete who became Somalia's first athlete at the Paralympic Games (Wikipedia). 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). He grew up in Turin and took up para-athletics, competing in the T52 class (same source). See Somalis in 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). 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.
In short
Somalia's first Paralympian, a Turin-raised sprinter who set an African record in Rio.
Sources
- Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
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