Ditaji Kambundji was born on 20 May 2002 in Bern to a Congolese father, Safuka, and a Swiss mother, Ruth.[6] She is the last of four children. Her older sister is Swiss sprinter Mujinga Kambundji.[7]
Ditaji grew up watching her siblings excel in athletics. She spent a majority of her time going to her sisters' competitions and cheering them on, which naturally influenced her to follow in their footsteps. She gives credit to her sisters for laying the path for her and making it easier when she finally joined their track club. She tried different disciplines at first before gravitating toward the hurdles.[8][5] Both Ditaji and Mujinga enjoy gardening, as well as taking care of plants, when they are not competing.[8]
Career
2020-2022: Initial breakthrough
Kambundji won her first senior national title on 12 September 2020, winning the 100m hurdles in 13.07s.[9]
The following year, she broke the sub-13s barrier for the first time by winning the Meeting Meilen in 12.99s on 29 May.[10] She retained her Swiss title in June, running 13.03s.[11] The next month, she won gold at the European U20 Championships in Tallinn, also running 13.03s.[12] She competed at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics later that month, finishing eighth in her heat in 13.17s.[13]
In 2022, Kambundji recorded her first sub-8s clocking in the 60m hurdles, running 7.98s to win at the Nationales Hallenmeeting in Magglingen.[14] She further improved her personal best to 7.97s to win the Swiss Indoor Championships on 27 February.[15] At the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade, she made the final of the 60m hurdles, where she did not finish.[16] She had previously ran a national record of 7.89s in the semi-final.[17]
Kambundji set a new personal best of 12.77s in winning the CITIUS Meeting in Bern on 14 June 2022.[18] At the World Championships in Eugene held the following month, she made the semi-finals of the 100m hurdles, improving her personal best to 12.70s.[19] She also competed at the European Championships, winning a bronze medal in 12.74s.[20]
2023-2024: European U23 champion
In 2023, Kambundji improved her national record in the 60m hurdles to 7.81s in winning gold at the Swiss Indoor Championships.[21] At the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul, she won a bronze medal in the 60m hurdles, running a time of 7.91s.[22]
At the 2023 European U23 Championships in Espoo, Kambundji won gold over the 100m hurdles in a new personal best and championship record of 12.68s.[23] In August, she ran a new European U23 record and national record of 12.47s in winning the final of the 100m hurdles at the CITIUS Meeting, beating the mark of 12.51s she had set in the heats.[24][25] Later that month, she competed at the World Championships in Budapest, placing seventh in the final.[26]
In February 2025, Kambundji won her fourth national title in the 60m hurdles at the Swiss Indoor Championships, winning in 7.82s.[31] At the European Indoor Championships in March, she won gold over the 60m hurdles, running a European record of 7.67s, which placed her second on the all-time top lists.[32][33] She also competed at the World Indoor Championships held in March, winning silver behind Devynne Charlton in 7.73s.[34]
Kambundji won the 100m at the European Team Championships First Division in June 2025, running a wind-assisted time of 12.39s (+2.2m/s).[35] She continued her good form with a second-place finish at the Monaco Diamond League in 12.43s (-1.1m/s), her second-fastest time at the time.[36] On 15 July, she won at the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern in 12.49s.[37] She equalled her national record of 12.40s in finishing second behind Ackera Nugent at the Diamond League Final in Zürich, on 28 August.[38] At the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Kambundji won a shock gold in the 100m hurdles, running a new national record of 12.24s, the seventh-fastest time in history at the time.[39][40] Speaking after the final, she stated "This is something I have been working for and to run it in the way I wanted to is special. Getting a personal best is nice but all that mattered today was the title."[41]
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