Sport will make us proud: interview of Hugues Fabrice Zongo, world champion and doctor

To open this series with Burkinabé Hugues-Fabrice Zango, 30 years old, world champion of triple jump, who just passed a PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Artois.

The challenge: a world champion and a doctor!

Campus France: Hello Hugues-Fabrice, and thank you for this interview at a time that is, to say the least, particularly intense!

Hugues-Fabrice: That’s a good way to say it! I’m training for the triple jump final for the Paris Olympic Games 2024! Until 9 August, day of my contest, I’m dedicated full time to the event, focused 100% on a critical challenge for me, my career and my country. Let’s not forget that the bronze medal I won at the Tokyo Olympic Games was the first for my country, Burkina Faso, and the only one until now.

CF: Could you remind us of your track record?

HF: It all began during the African Championships in 2016 in Durban, where I won the silver in triple jump. Then, in 2017, I won gold in triple jump at the Francophonie Games, and every time I increased my own records. Then it all went very fast. I won bronze in the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, then I became World Champion in field in 2023, and indoor in March 2024 in Glasgow. But it was in France that I set my own personal record in triple jump (18.07 meters), in Aubière, Puy-de-Dôme, in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, in 2021.

CF: Can you tell us about your relation with France?

HF: After good studies in my country, Burkina Faso, where I passed a degree in electrical engineering, I came to France in 2016 with a student visa, to do sport of course, but also, truly, study at the University of Artois, my host institution. In addition to my sport career at the Artois Athletics club that took so much time, I persevered and passed a Master’s degree in 2018 in electrical systems engineering as head of class. From there I decided to keep going and start a Doctorate course the next year. I passed my Doctorate degree in electrical engineering in December last year (2023)! I am particularly proud of this title, “doctor”! In athletics, there are very few of us to study up to the doctorate level! I may even be the only one to be able to claim this title!

CF: How did you manage to join sport and studies?

HF: It was hard. Now, I’m having a break and dedicate only to sports. I took a step back. I’ll let you picture what it’s like to handle two careers when you have six hours of training every day, counting the training itself but also all the necessary care and recovery time! I had the chance to have a French coach, Teddy Tamgho, also former world champion in triple jump for France in 2013. I also benefited from the preparation and sport equipment from INSEP (French national institute for sport, expertise and performance) with which I concluded a private agreement, athlete to structure.

CF: How do you see your future?

HF: In the short term, I want to win gold in the Olympic Games, of course! But in the long term, I want to walk what I call my “professional path”, getting my feet in various places in the world! I want to be even more mobile, travel more, but be useful. I want to help Africa, transfer my knowledge from one country to another, conclude partnerships, support companies. Transfers of skills and technologies, in the energy field for instance, are possible to contribute to development. I’ve had very good contacts in West Africa, and there are so many things to do between our two countries, France and Burkina Faso, and maybe the United States. But for now I only think about one thing: the Olympic Games. And, if I let myself think beyond that: I want to stay the world number 1 in my field, beat the triple jump world record! I can do it, I have the mindset to achieve it, I believe. I hope so in any case!