Sporting Witness
Sporting Witness
Cameroon's Triple Jump Queen
Up next
September 30, 2021
10 minutes
Available for over a year
In 2004, the Cameroonian triple-jumper Francoise Mbango made headlines around the world when she competed in the Athens Olympics with her head shaved. Mbango wanted to show solidarity with her mother, who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer. Mbango won a gold medal and went on to retain her title at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She talks to Ian Williams about how motherhood inspired her journey to the very top of world sport.
PHOTO: Francoise Mbango after her Olympic victory in 2004 (Getty Images)