About Nafi
Born to a Belgian mother and Senegalese father, Nafi is the pentathlon world record holder and the current double Olympic, World and European heptathlon champion. She is one of only four heptathletes to break the magic 7,000-point barrier and one of two to win the Olympic crown twice. She was voted IAAF World female athlete of the year in 2017 and acts as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. Her list of achievements and record breaking marks makes her one of the most decorated athletes in athletics history.
A modern multi-eventer, Nafi first immersed on the international scene when scoring a world indoor best in the junior pentathlon in 2013. Later that year she won gold at the European junior championships, a feat that announced the start of a prodigious career in which Nafi continues to re-write combined events history. She wasted little time by becoming the youngest Olympic heptathlon gold medalist in history and in the years to follow she distinguished herself as a world class performer by adding two World gold medals and one silver to her name, as well as three European indoor and two outdoor gold medals. She has managed to break a mythical heptathlon barrier by scoring a massive 7013 points and wrote history at the Tokyo Olympic Games by winning a second consecutive heptathlon gold medal. In 2023 Nafi raised the world indoor pentathlon record to a stunning 5055 points and showed no intention of slowing down her already brilliant career.
For me, it is to empty the mind and remember to enjoy the experience
Unicef Goodwill Ambassador
UNICEF Belgium aims to support quality learning for every girl and boy, especially those in greatest danger of being left behind. In Belgium the organization hopes to give a voice to the most vulnerable children, such as children living in poverty and refugee children, and wants to help them have access to education. Nafi, who has set an example of successfully combining a university degree while being an elite athlete, is particularly connected to the idea of supporting every child to have quality education. Her role and voice is important in supporting this message and to help UNICEF Belgium to defend children’s education rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence.
Team
Coach
Michael Van der Plaetsen
Management
We Are Many
Business partners Helena Van der Plaetsen and Kim Vanderlinden founded We Are Many in 2010 and are specialized in guiding world-class athletes. They offer a full-service management and have been working with Nafi since 2013.
Pictures
Nafi has worked with Belga images throughout her career and is proud to portray a portfolio of some of the best pictures this collab has produced. None of these pictures can be used free of rights.
