| Intro | Athletics competitor | ||||
| Is | Athlete | ||||
| From |
Italy Somalia |
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| Type |
Sports |
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| Gender | female | ||||
| Birth |
31 December 1979, Mogadishu, Somalia |
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| Age | 41 years | ||||
| Stats |
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Zahra Bani (born 31 December 1979 in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Somali-Italian javelin thrower.
Biography
Bani was born in 1979 in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, to an Italian father and a Somali mother. In 1989, she moved to Torino, Italy with her family and started playing volleyball. She soon thereafter discovered her specialty: javelin. Bani’s personal best throw is 62.75 metres, achieved at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki. However, since 2005, she has been suffering from health problems, which have significantly hampered her athletic performances. Bani ranks second on the all-time Italian list behind Claudia Coslovich.
International competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Italy | |||||
| 1998 | World Junior Championships | Annecy, France | 26th (q) | 44.38 m (old spec.) | |
| 1999 | European U23 Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 6th | 51.90 m | |
| 2001 | European U23 Championships | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 21st (q) | 43.78 m | |
| 2005 | World Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 5th | 62.75 m = PB | |
| Universiade | İzmir, Turkey | 6th | 55.02 m | ||
| Mediterranean Games | Almería, Spain | 2nd | 62.36 m | ||
| World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 8th | 55.02 m | ||
| 2006 | European Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 9th | 57.91 m | |
| World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 6th | 60.54 m | ||
| 2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 14th | 59.02 m | |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | — | NM | |
| World Athletics Final | Stuttgart, Germany | 4th | 60.22 m | ||
| 2009 | Mediterranean Games | Pescara, Italy | 2nd | 60.65 m | |
| 2010 | European Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 11th | 53.67 m | |
| 2012 | European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 14th | 53.40 m | |
National championships
She has won 13 times the individual national championship (Italian all-time record-woman).
- 6 wins in the javelin throw (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
- 7 wins in the javelin throw at the Italian Winter Throwing Championships (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013)