Skip to content
Search
Human content, AI powered search.

Latest Stories

News

Olympics corner: Independence Day bronze

Olympics corner: Independence Day bronze

Hugues Fabrice Zango of Burkina Faso celebrates with his national flag after winning bronze at Tokyo 2020.

REUTERS/Aleksandra Szmigiel
Carlos Santamaria
By Carlos SantamariaAugust 05, 2021
Carlos Santamaria

Carlos Santamaria is a former senior writer at GZERO.

See Full Bio
Make us preferred on Google

Whenever Burkina Faso is in the news, it's often about how the country - no stranger to crisis - has got caught up in the crosshairs of horrific jihadist violence plaguing the Sahel.

But this week, the nation of 20 million was celebrating because Hugues Fabrice Zango won its first-ever Olympic medal after finishing third in the men's triple jump in Tokyo.

What's more, Zango did it on the 61st anniversary of Burkina Faso's independence from France.

"It's not the medal I wanted, but it's good for Burkina Faso and it's historic. Burkina Faso is really happy. Everybody is happy," Zango said after the event. The president later congratulated him on Twitter: "Bravo champion."

Zango, who's currently pursuing a doctorate in electrical engineering, says he'll try to win gold in Paris 2024.

olympic games 2021africatokyo 2020burkina fasotokyo olympics

Latest Videos

Going to the moon is easier than ever beforeplay icon
GZERO World Clips

Going to the moon is easier than ever before

What's it like to sleep in space?
GZERO World Clips

What's it like to sleep in space?

Lack of AI governance is a real threat
Quick Take

Lack of AI governance is a real threat

Hormuz Crisis SOLVED with Stroke of a Pen!
Puppet Regime

Hormuz Crisis SOLVED with Stroke of a Pen!

The US and China are racing to settle the moon
GZERO World Clips

The US and China are racing to settle the moon

Humanity's next giant leap in space exploration
GZERO World with Ian Bremmer

Humanity's next giant leap in space exploration

More For You

Thousands rally against immigration in Spain, Mexico’s homicide rate falls, Xi pushes for new security framework in Middle East

Thousands of people gather at the Palacio de Cibeles, seat of the Madrid City Council, in Madrid, Spain during demonstrations held outside city halls in autonomous communities across Spain in protest of the mass entry of migrants at the Ceuta border.

Thousands of people gather at the Palacio de Cibeles, seat of the Madrid City Council, in Madrid, Spain, on September 2, 2024, during demonstrations held outside city halls in autonomous communities across Spain in protest of the mass entry of migrants at the Ceuta border.

Aaron Heredia/NurPhoto
Immigration protests rock Spain Tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Spain on Wednesday in protest against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s welcoming immigration policy and his handling of the immigration crisis in the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta. In July, more than 70,000 people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco in the [...]

America’s expanding proletariat

America’s expanding proletariat
Will Fitzpatrick
There is no official definition of “working class” – an economist might point to a certain income bracket or education level, while a Marxist might say it includes anyone who has to sell their labor to survive. But in the US now, the label seems to extend well beyond the traditional industrial proletariat – according to the poll, nearly half of [...]

Germany accuses Russia of planning drone attack, New UK PM lays out his plan, US and Iran return to fighting but remain in a deadlock

A police officer in protective clothing walks next to an explosive-disarming robot (EOD) at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

A police officer in protective clothing walks next to an explosive-disarming robot (EOD) at Leipzig/Halle Airport in Schkeuditz, Germany, August 5, 2026

REUTERS/Axel Schmidt
Germany and EU to hit back at Russia over drone plot The German government has formally accused Russia of orchestrating a failed drone attack at Leipzig airport last month. The drone, which approached a cargo plane that was taking weapons to Ukraine, failed to explode as planned. In response, Berlin will shrink Russia’s diplomatic presence in [...]

China’s solar eclipse of the US

China’s solar eclipse of the US
Will Fitzpatrick
China now produces more power via solar than coal for the first time ever, with rays of the sun accounting for more than 30% of the country’s total installed power generation, according to Chinese state TV. China, which remains the world’s leading overall greenhouse gas emitter, has leaned heavily into renewable energy installation and generation [...]