Grew up running all around the country hillsides of agricultural Burundi before getting involved in amateur competition traveling around the African Continent and eventually beyond into Europe, Canada and the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. Nukuri-Johnson escaped the Civil War in Burundi between the Tutsis and the Hutus as a 16 year old following the Francophone Games in Canada in 2001. She lived in
Toronto with her father's extended family. She spoke only Kirundi (her native language) and French at the time she was recruited by Iowa cross country coach Layne Anderson for a full-ride opportunity. She then spent two years at Butler County Community College in Kansas from 2004-06, learning English while becoming a NJCAA National Champion multiple times for Butler under coach Kirk Hunter. Spent two seasons at Iowa from 2006-08 where she was, among many other accolades, a Big Ten XC and Midwest Regional XC Champion, and fourth place and all-American at the NCAA championships. Nukuri-Johnson continues now runs professionally for Burundi, and is sponsored by Asics and represented by Brendan Reilly of Boulder Wave. http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/c-xc/mtt/nukuri_diane00.html
http://www.boulderwave.com/bio/diane-nukuri-johnson/
