The past Olympic was not just about winning, but more of inspiration. This is best expressed on the performance of Somalia's 200-meter dash runner Samia Yusuf Omar. She finished the race about 7 or 8 seconds after the winner of her heat crossed the finish line, a really poor performance, not one expected from an Olympian.
But, this is not the end of it, as she continued to run her heat the crowd of around 45,000 at the Bird's Nest Stadium, stood up, cheered and egged her to finish the race, a kind of warm welcome reserved only for the winners. When interviewed later, she confided that the gesture was uncalled for, but it made her doubly proud to be a Somali and brought tremendous popularity to her home country, particularly in the eyes of the world.
Her country maybe poor, and ravaged by the ongoing civil war, but it instilled in her hopes that her country would one day be united again, and peace would reign. Only two athletes was sent by the government to the Olympics, and both lagged behind in their heat because they were ill-prepared with no formal training and the absence of good training facilities. Besides how can one succeed when they still have to scavenge even for their daily subsistence?
Standing on the track and seeing the
Somalia flag waving side by side with the other flags of the world, gave her the notion that in this part of the world all are equal and no country claims dominion. And her pride being a Somali swelled, even for just a fleeting second, an experience she will cherish the rest of her life.
by:
The Flagman
