Gilbert Tuhabonye
Born (1974-11-22) November 22, 1974 (age 49)
Songa, Burundi
EducationAbilene Christian University
Occupation(s)Athlete, motivational speaker

Gilbert Tuhabonye (born November 22, 1974) is a Burundian long-distance runner, author, and motivational speaker. He was born in Songa, a town in the Commune of Songa, Burundi, where he survived a massacre during the Burundian Civil War.[1] He moved to the United States and wrote a book about his survival. He is also married to Triphine and has two daughters named Emma and Grace.

Biography

Tuhabonye is a survivor of the massacres during the Burundian Civil War of the early 1990s. In October 1993, members of the Hutu tribe invaded Tuhabonye's high school and captured more than 100 Tutsi children and teachers. Most of the captives were killed with machetes; the rest were burned alive. After spending nearly nine to 10 hours hidden beneath the burning corpses of his classmates and suffering burns over much of his body, Tuhabonye managed to escape and seek medical attention. He published his account in This Voice in My Heart: A Genocide Survivor's Story of Escape, Faith, and Forgiveness (HarperCollins Publishing, 2006).[2]

By 1996, his running skills took him to the United States as part of an Olympic training program. He obtained a track scholarship at Abilene Christian University and was a national champion runner. Tuhabonye is the award-winning coach of Gilbert's Gazelles Training Group in Texas. In 2006, he co-founded the Gazelle Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve life for people in Burundi without regard to tribal affiliations. Today Gilbert is a US citizen and lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and children.[3]

'This Voice in My Heart' has been featured on National Public Radio[4] and the BBC.[5]

Competition

Overview

Tuhabonye was the 1999 Lonestar Conference Champion in the 1500 meters and the 8k Cross Country Meet.[6] Tuhabonye competed internationally in Europe and represented Burundi at the 1999 Chiba Ekiden Relay in Chiba, Japan.

Post-college, Tuhabonye recorded a personal best of 2:23 in the marathon and 1:06 in the half marathon.[7]

Athletic career

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Burundi
United States - College
United States - Professional

Personal records

Special awards

References

  1. ^ Madison, Michael. "Journalist". Austin Fit Magazine. Archived from the original on 2013-02-06.
  2. ^ Austin Chronicle
  3. ^ "Infos about Tuhabonye's wife and daughters (see page 3)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
  4. ^ Infos at NPR website
  5. ^ Infos on BBC website
  6. ^ "Abilene Christian University Athletics". Archived from the original on 2013-07-18. Retrieved 2013-06-21.
  7. ^ Global Race Results Page
  8. ^ Hall, Michael (2003-08-01). "Running for His Life". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  9. ^ Article on BBC website
  10. ^ Past Giant Steps Award Winners Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine at NCAS website (see 1999)
  11. ^ Article on The Austin Chronicle
  12. ^ "Gilbert Tuhabonye on Brooks International website". Archived from the original on 2013-09-21. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  13. ^ Kansas City Star
  14. ^ National Underwriter

External links

Authority control databases
Categories