2,000M World Record holder Francine Niyonsaba receives heroic welcome

Burundian athlete Francine Niyonsaba returned home after breaking the world 2000m record in Zagreb last week, clocking 5:21.56 secs, just days after she won the 5000m in Zurich in 14:28.98.

"I was in Switzerland and other countries, where my victories gave me the points I needed to get to the final and win the 5000m trophy," Niyonsaba said.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Burundians showed up in the streets and at the airport to show their support to Niyonsaba after the win. They further called on the government to support her journey.

Since her conversion to long distances, the silver medallist in the 800m at the Rio Olympics in 2016 has been making a string of brilliant performances.

The former Olympic and world 800m silver medallist, like South African Caster Semenya, has fallen foul of World Athletics regulations that prohibit athletes who have unusually high levels of testosterone from competing in races between 400m and a mile unless they undergo treatment to reduce the levels