Amadou Dia Ba became the first Senegalese athlete to reach an Olympic podium with his silver in the men’s 400m hurdles at Seoul 1988.
Almost four decades later, he still has the honour of being the only athlete to have achieved an Olympic medal for the land of Teranga.
Olympics.com looks back at the glorious moment and the Senegalese legend’s journey to becoming one of the greatest hurdlers in history.
How injury pushed Dia Ba from field to track
Studying at a sports school in his hometown of Dakar, Dia Ba initially dedicated himself to high jump with considerable success.
He earned bronze at the 1978 All-Africa Games with a personal-best 2.18 metres. But an injury requiring knee surgery forced him to make the switch to the track.
The Senegalese athlete initially settled on the 400m and excelled in it. After winning double gold in the 400m and 400m hurdles at the 1982 African Championships, he made the decision to focus more on the latter.
Standing at 6ft 2in (1.88m), Dia Ba believed he was more cut out for the hurdles. In only his second race, he broke the 50-second barrier with a 49.88 run in June 1982. Two months later, he lowered his personal best to 49.55, clinching gold at the African Championships.
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/dakar-2026/news/senegal-only-olympic-medal-amadou-dia-ba-african-hero
