Yarigo

Noélie Ditchakou Yarigo (born in 1985) is a middle-distance runner from Benin who competes primarily in the 800 metres. Yarigo holds five Beninese national records including at 800 m indoors and out. She serves with the Benin Air Force. She was given leave to prepare for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and used it to train in France at the club run by the wife of her coach. At the Games, Yarigo broke for the first time the two-minute barrier in the heats with a time of 1:59.12. At the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she twisted her ankle in the heats. On 8 February 2023, at age 37 and after primarily focusing on being a pacemaker on the international racing circuit before, Yarigo set a significant personal best in the 800 m. She clocked 1:58.48 for second at the indoor Copernicus Cup in Toruń, Poland, improving her 1:59.12 set outdoors at the 2016 Rio Games. She will represent Benin at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.