Noélie Ditchakou Yarigo (born 26 December 1985)[4] is a middle-distance runner from Benin who competes primarily in the 800 metres. She represented her country at the 2016 Rio, 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2024 Paris Olympics.

Noélie Yarigo
Yarigo at the 2020 Golden Spike in Ostrava
Personal information
Full nameNoélie Ditchakou Yarigo[1]
Born (1985-12-26) 26 December 1985 (age 38)
Natitingou, Benin
EducationParakou University, Benin[2]
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in)[3]
Weight56 kg (123 lb)
Sport
SportTrack and field
Event800 metres
ClubECCAS[2]
Coached byClaude Guillaume[2]

Yarigo holds five Beninese national records including at 800 m indoors and out.

Career

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Noélie Yarigo set her first Beninese 800 metres record in 2003 at the age of 17, reducing it to 2:11.61 while still a teenager two years later. But she then took a long break from the sport and only returned in 2012 at the age of 26.[5]

She serves with the Benin Air Force. She was given leave to prepare for the 2016 Rio Olympics and used it to train in France at the club run by the wife of her coach.[2] At the Games, Yarigo broke for the first time the two-minute barrier in the heats with a time of 1:59.12.[5]

At the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she twisted her ankle in the heats.[5]

On 8 February 2023, at age 37 and after primarily focusing on being a pacemaker on the international racing circuit before, Yarigo set a significant personal best in the 800 m.[5] She clocked 1:58.48 for second at the indoor Copernicus Cup in Toruń, Poland, improving her 1:59.12 set outdoors at the 2016 Rio Games.[6]

Statistics

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International competitions

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Noelie Yarigo at the Meeting Stanislas in France in 2016
Representing   Benin
Year Competition Venue Position Event Time
2005 Jeux de la Francophonie Niamey, Niger 6th 800 m 2:11.61
5th 4 × 400 m relay 3:47.56
2007 All-Africa Games Algiers, Algeria 16th (h) 800 m 2:13.29
2013 Jeux de la Francophonie Nice, France 9th (h) 800 m 2:06.76
2014 African Championships Marrakech, Morocco 5th 800 m 2:01.64
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 35th (h) 800 m 2:02.48
2016 African Championships Durban, South Africa 6th 800 m 2:02.68
Olympic Games Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 13th (sf) 800 m 1:59.78
2017 Islamic Solidarity Games Baku, Azerbaijan 3rd 800 m 2:02.47
Jeux de la Francophonie Nice, France 2nd 800 m 2:01.27
4 × 100 m relay DNF
World Championships London, United Kingdom 7th (sf) 800 m 1:59.74
2018 African Championships Asaba, Nigeria 7th 800 m 2:04.36
2019 African Games Rabat, Morocco 7th 800 m 2:04.66
World Championships Doha, Qatar 10th (sf) 800 m 2:00.75
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 17th (sf) 800 m 2:01.41
2022 World Championships Eugene, OR, United States 22nd (sf) 800 m 2:01.52
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 8th (sf) 800 m 1:59.43
2024 World Indoor Championships Glasgow, United Kingdom 3rd 800 m 2:03.15
Olympic Games Paris, France 22nd (sf) 800 m 2:01.35

Personal bests

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References

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  1. ^ 2017 Jeux de la Francophonie results
  2. ^ a b c d Noelie Yarigo. nbcolympics.com
  3. ^ Noelie Yarigo. rio2016.com
  4. ^ "Noélie YARIGO – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Valiente, Emeterio (30 March 2023). "From pacer to racer, Yarigo now targets individual success". World Athletics. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  6. ^ Gault, Jonathan (8 February 2023). "Keely Hodgkinson (1:57) & Gudaf Tsegay (4:16) Rip Fast Times in Torun". LetsRun.com. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
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Olympic Games
Preceded by Flag bearer for   Benin
Paris 2024
with
Valentin Houinato
Succeeded by
Incumbent