Naman Keita
Encyclopedia
Naman Keïta is a track and field
athlete, who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles, competing internationally for France
. He was a bronze medal
ist in the 400 metres hurdles
at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
to a Mali
an father and an Algerian mother
. His hobbies are cooking and jazz music.
while in primary school. He worked for six months as a postman, before stopping to focus his energies on the World Championships and Olympic Games. He is able to use a 12 stride pattern between the hurdles. He competed internationally for Mali
until the end of 1999, when he switched his allegiance to France
.
He finished fourth in the 400 m hurdles final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.
Keïta was caught for using a prohibited substance (testosterone
) before the World Athletics Championship in Osaka
2007.
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete, who specialises in the 400 metre hurdles, competing internationally for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He was a bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
ist in the 400 metres hurdles
Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 400 metres Hurdles
The men's 400 metres hurdles was one of 23 track events of athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics, in Athens. It was contested at the Athens Olympic Stadium, from August 23 to August 26, by a total of 35 athletes from 24 nations....
at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Personal
Keïta was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to a Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
an father and an Algerian mother
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
. His hobbies are cooking and jazz music.
Career
Naman Keïta started runningRunning
Running is a means of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. It is simply defined in athletics terms as a gait in which at regular points during the running cycle both feet are off the ground...
while in primary school. He worked for six months as a postman, before stopping to focus his energies on the World Championships and Olympic Games. He is able to use a 12 stride pattern between the hurdles. He competed internationally for Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
until the end of 1999, when he switched his allegiance to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
He finished fourth in the 400 m hurdles final at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.
Keïta was caught for using a prohibited substance (testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
) before the World Athletics Championship in Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
2007.