The Most Famous
ATHLETES from Djibouti
Top 4
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Djibouti Athletes of all time. This list of famous Djibouti Athletes is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Hussein Ahmed Salah (b. 1956)
With an HPI of 45.74, Hussein Ahmed Salah is the most famous Djibouti Athlete. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages on wikipedia.
Hussein Ahmed Salah (Arabic: حسين أحمد صلاح, Somali: Xuseen Axmed Saalax) is a Djiboutian former long-distance runner, best known for winning a bronze medal in the marathon at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He also won silver medals in this event at the 1987 and 1991 World Championships. In addition, he won the 1985 IAAF World Marathon Cup. He also came second in the New York Marathon in 1985, and won the Paris Marathon in 1986. His personal best time was 2:07:07, achieved in a 2nd-place finish in the Rotterdam Marathon in April 1988. He and race winner Belayneh Densamo both ran faster than Carlos Lopes' World Record of 2:07:12, set on the Rotterdam course in 1985. Salah's 2:07:07 is the current national record for Djibouti. He also holds the national record in 10,000 metres with 28:17.4 minutes. He is the only Djiboutian athlete to win an Olympic medal.
2. Ayanleh Souleiman (b. 1992)
With an HPI of 26.93, Ayanleh Souleiman is the 2nd most famous Djibouti Athlete. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Ayanleh Souleiman (born 3 December 1992), also known as Hassan Ayanleh (Somali: Xasan Ayaanle Saleebaan), is a Djiboutian middle distance runner who specialises in the 1500 metres. He is the Djiboutian record holder for the distance, with his best of 3:29.58 minutes, as well as being the 3000 metres holder with 7:42.22 minutes. He also holds the indoor world record for the 1000-meter which he achieved at the 2016 Globengalan event in Stockholm Sweden. He also set a new IAAF Diamond League record at the IAAF Diamond League in August 2016 in the men's 1000 meters
3. Zourah Ali (b. 1994)
With an HPI of 0.00, Zourah Ali is the 3rd most famous Djibouti Athlete. Her biography has been translated into different languages.
Zourah Ali also known as Souhra Ali Mohamed (born 23 November 1994) is a Djiboutian runner. She competed in the 2012 and 2020 Summer Olympics.
4. Aden-Alexandre Houssein (b. 1998)
With an HPI of 0.00, Aden-Alexandre Houssein is the 4th most famous Djibouti Athlete. His biography has been translated into different languages.
Aden-Alexandre Houssein (born 28 March 1998) is a judoka. Born in France, he represents Djibouti internationally. He is a bronze medalist at the African Games and a two-time bronze medalist at the African Judo Championships.
People
Pantheon has 4 people classified as Djibouti athletes born between 1956 and 1998. Of these 4, 4 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Djibouti athletes include Hussein Ahmed Salah, Ayanleh Souleiman, and Zourah Ali. As of April 2024, 2 new Djibouti athletes have been added to Pantheon including Zourah Ali, and Aden-Alexandre Houssein.
Living Djibouti Athletes
Go to all Rankings
Hussein Ahmed Salah
1956 - Present
HPI: 45.74
Ayanleh Souleiman
1992 - Present
HPI: 26.93
Zourah Ali
1994 - Present
HPI: 0.00
Aden-Alexandre Houssein
1998 - Present
HPI: 0.00
