Burundi at the 2008 Summer Olympics

At the 2008 Olympics, Burundi was represented by one male in athletics,[6] marathon runner Joachim Nshimirimana.[6] At age 35, Nshimirimana was the country's oldest competitor, and was competing at his second Olympics. He competed in the 2004 Olympics, also in marathon.[9] He competed on the 24 August in Beijing,[10] and finished 68th out of 95[lower-alpha 1] in a time of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 55 seconds, over 23 minutes behind the winner, Samuel Kamau Wanjiru.[10]

The Beijing National Stadium, where Nshimirimana and Niyonizigiye competed in track and field events

Francine Niyonizigiye, Burundi's flag bearer at the opening ceremony,[4] competed on Burundi's behalf at the Beijing Olympics, in the women's 5000 metre races.[11] Born in 1988, Niyonizigiye was 19 years old at the 2008 Olympics.[11] Niyonizigiye previously competed in the 2004 Olympics, also in the 5000 metres.[11] During the qualification round, which took place on August 19, Niyonizigiye competed in the sixteen-person second heat.[lower-alpha 2] She finished the race in 17 minutes, 8.44 seconds, finishing in fourteenth place, the last of the finishing athletes, after Russia's Yelena Zadorozhnaya was disqualified.[12] Niyonizigiye finished just under a minute behind thirteenth placing Hungarian Krisztina Papp.[12] The heat itself was led by Ethiopia's Meseret Defar (14 minutes 56.32 seconds).[12] Of the 32 competitors to finish the event's first round, Niyonizigiye ranked 31st.[13] She did not advance to later rounds.[13]