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Gilbert Tuhabonye is one of the popular Burundi athlete who was born on November 22, 1974. From the very beginning Gilbert had a passion towards running and he loved competing with his friends. Gilbert Tuhabonye of Burundi was a champion from the time he entered the high school. Post school, Gilbert was recruited by the Abilene Christian University and was honored six times. When he was in the 11th grade, he became the national champion in 400- 800 meter race. In 1999, Gilbert Tuhabonye represented Burundi internationally in Europe.
Gilbert Tuhabonye is extremely lucky as he is the sole survivor of the horrible massacre which occurred on October 21, 1993 in Burundi. One fine afternoon Gilbert was in school with his classmates when suddenly a huge conflict broke out between Hutu and Tutsi tribesmen. The school building was set on fire and Gilbert remained buried for about nine hours under the corpses of his friends. After much struggling, he managed to jump out of the building and somehow survived this horrible tragedy.
More than 12 years have passed since this incident occurred; Gilbert has managed to carve a niche for himself in the athletic field on the international tracks. Gilbert Tuhabonye has become a national champion in the athletic field and is also one of the most popular coaches of Austin, Texas.
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