Jaysuma Saidy Ndure

1.1. Early Life and Upbringing

Saidy Ndure was born on January 1, 1984, in Bakau, a town in western Gambia, where he was raised by his mother. His first exposure to sprint events occurred during his high school years in his hometown. It is reported that he initially chose to compete in the 200 metres event to avoid directly competing against a friend who had already taken up the 100 metres. In June 2001, he participated in the West African Championships in Lagos, where he won the 200 metres with a time of 21.27 s, establishing a new Gambian record. Despite this early success and record-breaking performance, setting a national record did not immediately inspire him to pursue serious training, as he preferred to play basketball and volleyball for recreation with his schoolmates.

1.2. Move to Norway and Early Athletics

In 2002, at the age of 18, Saidy Ndure relocated to Oslo, Norway. His move was facilitated by several relatives already residing in the area, most notably his father, who had been living in Norway since the 1970s. Seeking a leisure activity, Ndure decided to re-engage with athletics and joined IL i BUL, one of the prominent athletics clubs in the Norwegian capital. The club's training sessions were held at the renowned Bislett Stadion. His talent was quickly recognized, leading to his connection with coach Olav Magne Tveitå, who continues to coach him.

1.3. Personal Life and Support

Jaysuma Saidy Ndure later formed a relationship with Heidi Trollsås, a former 400 metres hurdler from Sandefjord, Norway, who had competed at the national level. The couple eventually moved to Blystadlia, located just outside Oslo, where they still reside. Trollsås also served as Ndure's manager until 2008. Recognizing the need for professional representation to manage his burgeoning career, they hired Daniel Westfeldt, a well-known Swedish athletics manager. Shortly thereafter, Ndure secured a lucrative five-year sponsorship contract with Nike.

2.1. Transition from Gambia to Norway

Having moved to Norway, the prospect of changing his athletic nationality to represent his new home country was a natural progression for Saidy Ndure. In a newspaper interview, he asserted that he felt "one hundred percent Norwegian." The process for an immigrant to obtain Norwegian citizenship typically requires a five-year residency period, which was fulfilled by December 2006. This enabled him to compete in the Norwegian championships and represent Norway in major international competitions, including the World Championships and Olympic Games.

2.2. Disputes with Gambian Athletics Association

In his native Gambia, the news of his impending nationality change was met with surprise, described as a "shocking revelation." The Gambia Athletics Association, the Gambian National Olympic Committee, and the Department of State for Youth and Sports expressed reluctance to approve his change of allegiance. They considered Saidy Ndure a "national hero" and a "national treasure," valuing his contributions to Gambian sports.

Ultimately, Gambia initially decided to block Saidy Ndure's participation for Norway in major international championships for a period of three years. This measure was primarily intended to deter African athletes from transferring their allegiances to wealthier nations, a trend exemplified by cases like Olympic champion runner Saif Saaeed Shaheen, who switched from Kenya to Qatar. However, unlike Shaheen, Saidy Ndure was a naturalized Norwegian citizen. Despite this, having relinquished his Gambian citizenship, he was unable to represent any nation at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics, even though his name was already accompanied by the Norwegian flag in IAAF World Athletics Tour meetings. The Norwegian Athletics Association subsequently sought to have this block lifted in time for the 2008 Summer Olympics, a decision contingent on the approval of the Gambian Athletics Association.

In November 2007, it was reported that the disagreement had been resolved. An agreement was reached between the Norwegian Athletics Association and the Norwegian Olympic Committee and Confederation of Sports with their Gambian counterparts. A key condition of this agreement was that Saidy Ndure would lead a fourteen-day training camp for young athletes in his birth country. By the end of 2007, with only "formalities" remaining, Saidy Ndure was officially presented as a member of the Norwegian elite athletics team for the first time. In a 2008 television interview, he further elaborated on his sense of nationality, stating that while he felt both Gambian and Norwegian, he preferred to emphasize the similarities between people rather than their differences.

3.1. Junior Career and Early Progression (2002-2003)

In 2002, the year he moved to Norway, Saidy Ndure began competing more seriously in international events. At 18 years old, he was eligible for the 2002 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Kingston, Jamaica. He competed in the 200 metres but did not advance past the first round, finishing fifth in his heat with a time of 21.53 s. A week later, he competed at the Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. Here, he qualified for the next round for the first time, setting a new Gambian record of 21.25 s. Although he was eliminated in the quarter-final after finishing fifth in his heat, his time of 21.2 s marked yet another Gambian record.

His 2002 season in Norway saw him try the 100 metres, clocking 10.66 s in Drammen in August. The 2003 season brought continued progression, though without a major international breakthrough. In July, he broke his first Gambian 100 metres record, running 10.52 s in Gothenburg, surpassing the old record of 10.54 s set by Lamin Sanyang in 2001. The following day, he set his second Gambian record in two days in the 200 metres with 21.18 s, despite a headwind. At the 2003 African Junior Championships in Garoua, he earned a bronze medal in the 100 metres and a gold medal in the 200 metres. In August, still only 19, he competed at his first World Championships in Paris. He failed to reach the second round in the 200 metres, finishing sixth in his heat with 21.42 s. Notably, he had the fastest reaction time in his heat at 0.128 s. In May of the same year, he attempted the 400 metres for the first time, recording 48.76 s in a local meet in Oslo. He has since stated that the 400 metres might become his specialized event after he turns 30.

3.2. Senior Debut and International Experience (2004-2005)

The year 2004 marked Saidy Ndure's first international medal at the senior level and significant progress in both short sprint events. During the indoor season, he improved his personal best in the 60 metres to 6.77 s in Gothenburg. In late May, he broke the 21-second barrier in the 200 metres, setting a new Gambian record of 20.69 s in Szombathely. At the same meet, he also broke the 100 metres record twice in two days, with 10.46 s and then 10.37 s. Two months later, he won the bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 2004 African Championships in Athletics in Brazzaville, clocking 10.43 s, finishing behind Olusoji Fasuba and Idrissa Sanou. This was Gambia's third medal at the African Championships.

In August, he prepared for his first 2004 Summer Olympics participation, lowering the national 100 metres record to 10.29 s in Malmö and then to 10.27 s in Lillehammer. As one of only two athletes in the Gambian Olympic squad, Saidy Ndure was chosen as the Gambian flagbearer at the opening ceremony. He competed in both the 100 and 200 metres, progressing from the first round in a global international competition for the first time in both events. In the 100 metres, he set a new Gambian record of 10.26 s in the first round, finishing third in his heat, behind eventual silver medalist Francis Obikwelu and Ronald Pognon. However, he did not advance past the quarter-final. In the 200 metres, he finished fifth in his heat with 20.78 s, qualifying as the last athlete for the next round, but again failed to progress past the quarter-final. This heat also included eventual Olympic gold medalist Shawn Crawford.

His 2005 season began in Florø in June. The main goal for the season was the 2005 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, where he competed only in the 200 metres. He comfortably progressed from both the heat and quarter-final. In the semi-final, he finished fifth in his heat with 20.75 s, just 0.07 s behind Usain Bolt, who secured the final spot. Two months before the World Championships, he set another Gambian record in the 200 metres, running 20.57 s in Warsaw, and later improved it to 20.51 s in Malmö.

3.3. Breakthrough and Record Breaking (2006-2007)

The 2006 season began with the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. Saidy Ndure opted for the 200 metres, reaching the semi-final but being eliminated after placing fifth in his heat, just 0.04 s behind Uchenna Emedolu, the last qualifier for the final. He continued to perform well at various Grand Prix meets, collecting enough points to finish fifth on the World Athletics Tour, which qualified him for his first IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart. At the 2006 World Athletics Final, he made an international breakthrough, finishing sixth in the 200 metres with a new Gambian record time of 20.47 s. This would be his last Gambian record, as he had filed for Norwegian citizenship days before the event, which was accepted the following month.

In 2007, he made his season debut with 20.62 s in the 200 metres in Doha. He did not run the 100 metres until late June, clocking 10.5 s in Lillehammer. He then improved his 200 metres personal best to 20.41 s in Malmö. His form continued to improve, and he finally broke his three-year-old personal best in the 100 metres, running 10.1 s in Tallinn. At the same meet, he lowered his 200 metres personal best to 20.25 s. On August 7, at the DN Galan Super Grand Prix meet in Stockholm, he ran the 100 metres in 10.07 s, erasing the Norwegian record held by former European champion Geir Moen since 1996. This was achieved against a headwind of 2.2 mph ^{(1 m/s)}, leading him to believe a sub-10 second time was achievable.

Eligible to compete in the Norwegian championships for the first time, Saidy Ndure won both short sprint events in mid-August in Askim. He ran the 100 metres in 10.14 s despite cold, drizzling weather, and was awarded the King's Cup. He won the 200 metres in a race he described as a "training session." Due to ongoing nationality issues, he was not permitted to participate in the 2007 World Championships, so he focused on the IAAF Golden League competitions in September.

On September 7, he finished second in the 100 metres at the Weltklasse Zürich meet with 10.2 s. Two days later in Rieti, Italy, he equaled his Norwegian record with 10.07 s in a race where Asafa Powell set a new world record of 9.74 s. The following week, at the Memorial Van Damme Golden League meet in Brussels, he again finished second behind Powell with 10.11 s. Two days later, at the ISTAF meet in Berlin, Saidy Ndure won his first Golden League race, finishing in 10.14 s ahead of Marlon Devonish. His success in these competitions qualified him for both sprint events at the World Athletics Final.

At the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart, Saidy Ndure finished second in the 100 metres and first in the 200 metres, setting new Norwegian records in both. In the 200 metres, he defeated recent World Championships bronze medalist Wallace Spearmon to clock 19.89 s. This result was described as a "huge surprise," and Saidy Ndure himself called the sub-20 second time "crazy" and "unbelievable." The previous day, he had lowered his national 100 metres record to 10.06 s, finishing second behind Asafa Powell, despite suboptimal conditions after two false starts. These performances propelled him to fourth place on the European all-time 200 metres list, only behind Pietro Mennea, Konstadinos Kederis, and John Regis, and joint tenth on the European all-time 100 metres list. In September, he was nominated for the European athlete of the month award, finishing runner-up to Marek Plawgo. In early 2008, he was named Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year in Norway.

3.4. Olympic and Major International Competitions (2008 onwards)

Saidy Ndure's career continued with participation in major global events, including Olympic Games, World Championships, European Championships, and Diamond League meets.

3.4.1. 2008 Beijing Olympics

Unlike the previous year, Saidy Ndure decided to compete during the 2008 indoor season, focusing on three 60 metres competitions in February. After an unofficial 6.71 s in Florø, he set a new Norwegian indoor record of 6.56 s in Birmingham, England, followed by a further improvement to 6.55 s in Ghent one week later. He surprisingly announced he would not compete at the 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships, with his coach stating the event had "low status" among top sprinters and that Ndure wanted to prepare thoroughly for the 2008 Olympic season.

He commenced his outdoor season on May 9 at the Super Grand Prix meet in Doha, winning the 100 metres race in a new national record time of 10.01 s. This result placed him joint seventh on the European all-time list. The IAAF reporter noted it was "probably his most impressive 100m victory" given the strong field and a suboptimal start. However, he experienced hamstring pains in the final 49 ft ^{(15 m)} of the race and withdrew from the 200 metres event scheduled later that evening, though the injury was deemed minor. He later withdrew from the Bislett Games to fully recover for the Olympics.

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he competed in the 100 metres, placing third in his heat with 10.37 s behind Derrick Atkins and Andrey Yepishin, and qualifying for the second round. He improved his time to 10.14 s in the second round but finished fourth in his heat, behind Usain Bolt, Darvis Patton, and Francis Obikwelu, failing to qualify for the semi-finals. He also participated in the 200 metres, finishing second in his first-round heat with 20.54 s. In the second round, he clocked 20.45 s and placed third in his heat, qualifying for the semi-finals, but he did not start the race. Looking ahead, he has expressed that he might specialize in the 400 metres event. Notably, he is slimmer than many sprinters, with a relatively low body mass index, and does not train bench press to enhance his pectoral muscles. He weighed 163 lb ^{(74 kg)} after a training camp in California, with a goal to lose at least 4.4 lb ^{(2 kg)} before the Olympic Games.

4.1. Personal Bests

His career-best times in sprint events include:

• 100m: 9.99 s (+1.0 m/s wind) - Achieved on June 30, 2011, in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• 100m (wind-assisted): 9.92 s (+2.3 m/s wind) - Achieved on June 7, 2014, in Florø, Norway.
• 200m: 19.89 s (+1.3 m/s wind) - Achieved on September 23, 2007, in Stuttgart, Germany.
• 400m: 48.71 s - Achieved on March 14, 2009, in San Diego, United States.
• 60m (indoor): 6.55 s - Achieved on February 24, 2008, in Ghent, Belgium.
• 100m (indoor): 10.19 s - Achieved on February 15, 2014, in Florø, Norway.

4.2. Nordic and Norwegian Records

Jaysuma Saidy Ndure is the holder of multiple Nordic and Norwegian sprint records:

• Men's 100m: He holds the Nordic and Norwegian record with 9.99 s, set on June 30, 2011. This record surpassed the previous Norwegian record of 10.08 s held by Geir Moen since August 16, 1996.
• Men's 200m: He holds the Nordic and Norwegian record with 19.89 s, set on September 23, 2007. This record broke Geir Moen's previous record of 20.17 s from September 1, 1996.
• Men's 60m (indoor): He holds the Nordic and Norwegian record with 6.55 s, set on February 24, 2008.

He also previously held the Gambian national records in the 100m and 200m before his nationality change. His Gambian indoor 60m record was 6.71 s, set on February 19, 2006, in Korsholm, Finland.

4.3. Major Competition Awards

Ndure's notable achievements in major international competitions include:

• African Championships**: Bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 2004 African Championships in Brazzaville.
• African Junior Championships**: Gold medal in the 200 metres and bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 2003 African Junior Athletics Championships in Garoua.
• European Athletics Championships**: Bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 2012 European Athletics Championships in Helsinki.
• IAAF World Athletics Final**: Gold medal in the 200 metres and silver medal in the 100 metres at the 2007 IAAF World Athletics Final in Stuttgart.
• Norwegian Championships**: Winner of the King's Cup at the 2007 Norwegian Championships.
• National Recognition**: Declared Breakthrough Sportsperson of the Year in Norway in early 2008.
• World Championships**: Finalist in the 200 metres at the 2011 (4th place) and 2013 (8th place) World Athletics Championships.
• Diamond League**: Finished 3rd overall in the 200 metres in the 2011 Diamond League series.

5.1. Doping Violation Case

In 2007, Saidy Ndure became involved in a doping case. On August 8, the IAAF reported that he had tested positive for cannabis during an in-competition test conducted on June 28, 2007, in Lucerne, Switzerland. He had competed in both sprint events at the Spitzenleichathletik EAA meeting there, running 10.26 s and 20.41 s respectively. As this was his first violation, the only sanctions imposed were disqualification from the competition in question and a public warning.

The news of the positive test was not widely reported in Norwegian media until August 14, two days after the Norwegian championships where Saidy Ndure had won the King's Cup. Both the general secretary and the sports director of the Norwegian Athletics Association, as well as the Norwegian Anti-Doping Agency (Antidoping Norge), were initially unaware of the case. It was later discovered that the case had been sent to the Gambian Athletics Association, as Saidy Ndure was still listed as a Gambian competitor in Lucerne, despite having obtained Norwegian citizenship six months prior. In September, the case was officially transferred to the Norwegian authorities.

Reacting to the accusation, Saidy Ndure immediately attributed the positive test to passive smoking of marijuana during a visit to a friend's house a few days before the Lucerne meeting. He vehemently stated that he would never knowingly consume the substance, citing its detrimental effects on athletic performance. However, a doping expert in Norway cast doubt on the passive smoking explanation, claiming it was insufficient to trigger a positive doping test. While some supported his explanation, others pointed to similar cases, such as Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati, who initially lost his 1998 Olympic gold medal due to a positive cannabis test, only to have it returned after blaming passive smoking.

It was later revealed that Saidy Ndure had consumed the substance through `attaya<sub>attaya</sub><sup>Wolof</sup>` tea during the same gathering with friends, one of whom admitted to preparing the tea with cannabis. This explanation was accepted by the Norwegian Anti-Doping Agency, which acquitted him in December 2007. However, the IAAF did not accept this decision. They offered Ndure the choice of accepting a public warning for an anti-doping rule violation in exchange for the IAAF not appealing the case to the CAS. Ndure accepted the public warning on January 15, 2008.