Olympic gold medallist Venuste Niyongabo was in Malta this week to conduct a Nike workshop with the main theme being 'Discover how our gear can make a difference in your training'.
Based in Bologna, Italy, Niyongabo is a NikeRun specialist. These past two years he has travelled across Europe, representing Nike Inc. and giving useful information to athletes in different sport on how to improve their technical knowledge of Nike shoes.
The latest leg of his itinerary was Malta. The workshop, at the Westin Dragonara, was organised by Time International, local agents and distributors of US sportswear giant Nike.
The activity was attended by various local sports personalities, including athletes, coaches and club administrators.
Niyongabo, of Burundi, was born on December 9, 1973. He became the first Olympic champion from the African nation after winning the 5,000m race at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
"That race changed my life completely," Niyongabo told The Times during a short break from the workshop.
"I love running and I'll never stop practising despite the tight schedule I have at the moment. Winning a gold medal at the Olympics is the highlight of anyone's career. But, you need passion and love for the sport to keep the interest alive."
In Atlanta, Niyongabo was originally listed for the 1,500m race but then switched to the long 5,000m after deciding to award his place to a fellow athlete from Burundi.
Niyongabo struggled with injuries after the '96 Olympics and never achieved the same level of competition again. He did try to defend his title in Sydney 2000 but was eliminated in the semi-final heat.
"I still enjoy my training very much," he said. "I'm running longer distances now and next month I will be in Rome for the half marathon."
Niyongabo also shows a lot of dedication to the work he has been engaged to do by Nike Inc. He stressed the importance that athletes understand better the mechanics of Nike shoes.
"In Italy alone, I have to monitor 150 shops selling Nike shoes and we have to ensure that all our customers are getting the right stuff for their feet," he explained.
"We are responsible to inform clients more about the technical aspect of the shoes. Some may say it's not important but it is... more knowledge helps to avoid serious injury."
Another NikeRun specialist at the workshop was Italian Max Lo Curto. He gave a detailed background of how Nike came to life way back in the 60s and the contribution of co-founder Bill Bowerman, a renowned track coach, to get the organisation going.