Athlete from the Algarve heads to the first division

The 24-year-old hurdler Usumane Djumo is preparing for the 2026/2027 season with a view to taking part in the elite National 1st Division for Clube de Atletismo Olímpico Vianense (CAOV) and aiming to finish on the podium at the African Games in Cairo, which are scheduled to take place from 20 January to 7 February 2027.

By Íris Marçal, in News · 28 Sep 2026, 15:33 · 0 Comments

Credits: Unsplash; Author: Nicolas Hoizey;

The Portuguese international, born in Guinea-Bissau and from Armação de Pêra, is beginning the new competitive season after securing a place for himself on the regional, national, and international sports stages. In accordance with his career goals, he is now in the final phase of preparation to meet the requirements of the club, the national team, and the global competition schedules.

The current season comes after a 2025/2026 period during which the athlete reached historic highs for the club based in Viana do Castelo. While competing for CAOV, Djumo won the National 2nd Division Championship (Indoor/Short Track) in both the 60m hurdles and the 4x400m relay and was therefore instrumental in the team's promotion to the 1st Division.

He won titles as both the North Zone and Viana do Castelo champion (in individual and team competitions), broke the Viana do Castelo regional record for the 60m hurdles on three occasions, his best time being 7.96 seconds, and retained his position as Absolute North Champion in the 110m hurdles.

At the same time, the hurdler broke new ground for athletics in Guinea-Bissau by setting a national record in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.88 seconds at the Braga Meeting—making him the first athlete from the country to run that distance in under 14 seconds—and also set a national record in the indoor 60m hurdles (7.96 seconds).

He came eighth in the 110 metres hurdles final at the 24th African Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana; took part with the national team at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland; and also competed in Valladolid, Spain, where he set personal best times of 7.13 seconds in the 60 metre dash, 22.58 seconds in the 200 metres, and 41.47 seconds in the 4 x 100 metre relay.

The athlete, who is concentrating on his forthcoming duties in Portugal and on the World Athletics circuit, has once again shown his determination to keep setting records and to proudly show his country, Guinea-Bissau, in major international competitions.