Ditaji Kambundji sprints to the top of the world thanks to strong nerves, talent and family cohesion. Now she is Swiss Sportswoman of the Year for the first time.
30.03.2026, 04:31
30.03.2026, 10:02
SDA
Ditaji Kambundji appears imperturbable at the moment of highest tension. When her stomach is tingling before the world championship final and the challenge seems huge, the 23-year-old really gets going. With her triumph in the 100 m hurdles at the World Championships in Tokyo in September, which she crowned in 12.24 seconds and with a Swiss record, she took this ability to a level that only a few people thought she was capable of.
In the emotional interview after the race, tears kept rolling down Kambundji's cheeks. It was no different for many spectators in front of their TV sets. "I was there too, I remember it well. When Ditaji cried, I cried too," admits Federal Councillor Martin Pfister.
"I never set myself a limit. Because I always had role models who showed me that anything is possible," says Kambundji - referring in particular to her sister Mujinga, who is ten years older. The 2019 World Championship bronze medallist paved the way for professional female athletics in Switzerland and has shaped Ditaji's career to this day.
The great family bond
The four Kambundji sisters form a close, almost symbiotic bond. Ditaji is both grounded and driven by them. She shares her big moments with her family as a matter of course. In Tokyo, she first sought the embrace of her parents before beginning her lap of honor. Despite her immense self-confidence, she never seems aloof. A trademark of this family.
In sport, Ditaji Kambundji wins medals to the beat: in March 2025, the Swiss national anthem rang out in Apeldoorn after winning gold in the 60 m hurdles at the European Indoor Championships, and two weeks later in Nanjing, the track and field athlete won silver at the World Championships. The hurdles sprinter confirms time and again that she thrives under maximum pressure.
Supported by the expertise of her team led by head coach Florian Clivaz and hurdles coach Claudine Müller, Ditaji Kambundji is now technically at world level. The falls of earlier years are history. The athlete from Bern has learned to rein in her explosiveness and release it at the decisive moment - and is making Swiss sporting history in the process.
