Aug. 6, 2012
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LONDON — Former Hawkeye All-American Diane Nukuri-Johnson placed 31st at the 2012 London Olympics on Sunday while representing her native country Burundi. Nukuri-Johnson clocked a personal best time of 2 hours, 30 minutes and 13 seconds, setting a Burundi national record.
The Olympic experience was the second of Nukuri-Johnson’s celebrated career. She competed in the 5,000 meters at the 2000 Sydney Olympics when she was just 15 years old. She evenutally left Burundi, defecting to Canada before beginning her collegiate career at Butler Community College in Kansas, where she was a nine-time NJCAA national champion from 2004-06.
Nukuri-Johnson transferred to Iowa prior to the 2006 cross country season and went on to earn three All-America honors while competing for the Hawkeyes. She was the 2007 Big Ten Cross Country Champion and won the outdoor 5,000 meter conference title in 2008. She graduated from Iowa in 2010 as the owner of eight school records.