Nafi Thiam is a Belgian athlete specializing in multi-event athletics competitions on the world stage. Nafi has two Olympics gold medals to her name.
The Belgian pride is a modern multi-eventer and is the most decorated Belgian female athlete. Born on August 19, 1994, in Namur, City of Brussels, Nafi started participating in athletics at just seven; she thrived as a junior athlete specializing in Heptathlon and Pentathlon.
Get To Know Nafi Thiam Boyfriend
Nafi Thiam is currently in a relationship with a Belgian decathlete, Neils Pittomvils, who finished 22nd at the World Championships in 2015, and seventh at the 2017 European Indoor Championships. Nafi Thiam’s partner is an athlete like herself.
The couple has been living together since the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown and lives in Liege, Belgium. However, the pair is not known for sharing much of their romantic lifestyle as they seem to steer the focus on furthering their athletic career.
As of August 2022, the two-time gold medalist at the Olympics and World Championships, Nafi Thiam, is not married. And she’s not single either, as she has been dating a Belgian athlete Neils Pittomvils since 2020.
Her Mother Was A Professional Heptathlete
Born to a Belgian mother and Senegalese father, Nafi inherited her athleticism from her mother, Danielle Denisty Thiam, a former heptathlete; she competed during the 60s and 70s.
We can safely conclude that Danielle has been Nafi’s key inspiration to start participating in athletics at seven. Apart from being a professional heptathlon athlete, Danielle also served her time as a school teacher.
Gold medalist Nafi’s father, Bamba Thiam, earned his living as a sculptor and a painter in Brussels. Nafi’s parents got divorced in 1996 when she was just two. Bamba holds Belgian nationality.
Nafi grew up in Brussels with her three siblings. However, her sibling’s identity is yet to be disclosed in the media. Nafi has two brothers and one sister. This section will be updated if anything comes up. Nafi Thiam belongs to a mixed ethnic group as both of her parents share different ancestry. Her mother is Belgian, while her father is Senegalese.
Nafi Thiam Early Career
At age 14, Nafi won her first title in athletics winning the national age group title in 2009 in the Heptathlon. Two years later, she finished 4th at the World Youth Championships held in Lille, France, with 5366 total points.
Following her next year, Nafi finished 14th at the World Junior Championships; she was a first-year junior then. It was February 3, 2013, when she broke the pentathlon Junior Indoor World record. Her continued dedication to the game helped her break the world record, becoming the first Belgian female to ever break a world record.
Nafi Thiam Won Gold Medal in the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics
In August 2016, Nafi Thiam became the youngest Olympic heptathlon champion, winning her first gold medal at the Rio Olympics with a total of 6810.
Nafi began her senior career by winning a bronze medal at the 2014 European Championships in Heptathlon. In the 2015 European Indoor Championships, Nafi won the silver medal in the pentathlon, while at the European U23 Championships, she won another silver in the High Jump.
In 2021, Nafi won herself another Olympics gold, winning the medal with 6791 total points. Furthermore, her other two gold medals come from the 2017 and 2022 World Championships in the Heptathlon.
She holds numerous Belgian High Jump, Long Hump, Javelin Throw, and Heptathlon records. For her accomplishments as Heptathlon and pentathlon athlete, she was voted World Athlete of the Year by IAAF in 2017.
Surprisingly, the 28-year-old Olympic champion has a Geographical Science degree. As good as an athlete Nafi is, her academic qualification is not the topic of concern. Though she became successful from the get-go, Nafi continued to pursue education.
Details Noteworthy
Nafi Thiam now trains and lives in Liege, Belgium, with her partner. Also, she works as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and has earned quite a good fortune. Roger Lespagnard is currently coaching Nafi Thiam.