YARIGO Noelie

Date of Birth: 26 Dec 1985

Age: 35

Gender: Female

Olympic Scholarship

Place of birth: MATERI

Birth Country:

Benin

Place of residence : BLOIS

Residence Country:

France

Events and Medals
Records
Schedule
Bio
General Interest
Milestones

Events and Medals

Discipline	Event	Rank	Medal
Athletics	Women's 800m

Schedule

Start Time	Location	Event	Status
	Olympic Stadium - Track	Women's 800m Round 1 - Heat 2	Finished
	Olympic Stadium - Track	Women's 800m Semi-Final 2	Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

Olympic Games

Year	Location	800m
2016	Rio de Janeiro, BRA	SF (1:59.78)

World Athletics Championships

Year	Location	800m
2019	Doha, QAT	SF (2:00.75)
2017	London, GBR	SF (1:59.74)
2015	Beijing, CHN	Heats (2:02.48)

African Games

Year	Location	800m
2019	Rabat, MAR	7th (2:04.66)

African Championships

Year	Location	800m
2018	Asaba, NGR	7th (2:04.36)

Diamond League overview - Three best ranks per season and event since 2017

Year	800m
2020	1 x 9th

Diamond League - Ten best performances since 2020

Rank	Year	Event	Location	Result
9	2020	800m	Rome, ITA	2:02.98

World Athletics Continental Tour - Ten best performances since 2020

Rank	Year	Event	Competition	Location	Result
3	2021	800m	World Athletics Continental Tour	Turku, FIN	2:01.96
3	2020	800m	World Athletics Continental Tour	Turku, FIN	2:07.29
4	2020	800m	World Athletics Continental Tour	Nairobi, KEN	2:06.15
7	2021	800m	World Athletics Continental Tour	Ostrava, CZE	2:02.99
7	2020	800m	World Athletics Continental Tour	Ostrava, CZE	2:01.80

World Challenge - Ten best performances since 2020

Rank	Year	Event	Competition	Location	Result
1	2019	800m	World Challenge	Osaka, JPN	2:03.18
2	2018	800m	World Challenge	Ostrava, CZE	2:00.89
2	2018	800m	World Challenge	Osaka, JPN	2:01.97
4	2017	600m	World Challenge	Berlin, GER	1:25.78
6	2019	800m	World Challenge	Nanjing, CHN	2:02.50
7	2018	1000m	World Challenge	Berlin, GER	2:38.61

Legend
SF - Semifinal, QF - Quarterfinal, 1R - 1st Round, Qual. - Qualification, QR - Qualification Round, DNF - Did Not Finish, DNS - Did Not Start, DQ - Disqualified, NM - No Mark, [Relay athlete without time] - Did not run in final

The Gazelle of Materi, The Cheetah, The Warrior (afrik.com, 15 Sep 2020; lanouvellerepublique.fr, 17 Sep 2020)

Cooking, travelling, going to the cinema, listening to music, (Athlete, 23 Jul 2021)

Occupation:

Athlete, Serves in the Air Force, Sports Administrator

Parakou University, Benin

Languages spoken:

English, French

Running 41 [Blois, FRA]

Claude Guillaume [personal], FRA, from 2013

She contracted malaria in 2016. (irawotalents.com, 01 Aug 2017; African Athletics United Facebook page, 01 Aug 2016)

She began running at age eight in Materi, Benin, and joined an athletics club at age 10. (irawotalents.com, 01 Aug 2017; vo2.fr, 07 Apr 2016)

She discovered her love for the sport when her mother would ask her to run to the shop. "Every time she sent me to buy things, she said to me, 'If you come back soon, I will give you a present'. And since I loved to drink cow's milk, she bought me some as a reward. It was our deal. I took a liking to it. And every time we organised the inter-school championships, I won all the time." (irawotalents.com, 01 Aug 2017; vo2.fr, 07 Apr 2016)

To win an Olympic medal. (Athlete, 23 Jul 2021)

Reaching the semifinals of the 800m at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (Athlete, 23 Jul 2021)

South African middle-distance runner Caster Semenya. (Athlete, 23 Jul 2021)

Her mother, and coach Claude Guillaume. (irawotalents.com, 01 Aug 2017)

Philosophy:

"I am really determined. My coach is behind me all the time, my mother too. I have learned a lot from my failures. I have strengthened my mind. You have to know failures to better savour victory. If you've never failed in your life, you can't savour victory like someone who struggled to win." (irawotalents.com, 01 Aug 2017)

"Go hard or go home." (Athlete, 23 Jul 2021)

General Interest

General
FROM BENIN TO FRANCE
In 2012 she was invited to train at the Sporting 41 club in France by athletics coach Claude Guillaume after he saw her competing at the 2012 African Championships in Porto Novo, Benin. Yarigo decided to make the move as she was attracted by the prospect of better coaching and a higher standard of competition. "When you train, you still have to be pushed in order to make progress. In Benin, my closest rival was often 100 metres behind. That's why I decided to go to France. I struggled the first year. Two weeks after my arrival, I already wanted to go home. The temperature difference, the loneliness, the change of pace. I almost froze to death. Before going to France, I won all the time. I thought no one could beat me. I had to go on a journey to understand that my performance was matched by others." (blois.fr, 28 Sep 2020; lanouvellerepublique.fr, 17 Sep 2020; irawotalents.com, 01 Aug 2017; vo2.fr, 07 Apr 2016)

Social Media

Legend

:: Gold Medal Event
:: Silver Medal Event
:: Bronze Medal Event

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