Eight girls in the first 10 of the 10 km!
It is true that we missed out the first place … but from the second down, apart from the ninth, the name Sport2build resounded non-stop in the parking lot of the Levy shopping mall … I think that the customers of the shopping mall must have thought of a stuck disc, or of the subliminal advertisement of something to buy somewhere on the shelves of the supermarket … but that Sport2build, Sport2build, Sport2build … was simply the realization of a job started almost seven years ago … where sport, done as much as possible well, becomes a tool for growth and social inclusion, and where we always insisted on the female presence … the CEO of Lafarge (the cement multinational which sponsored the marathon) was impressed by these young girls from 11 years old and above, with the agile and elegant stride despite the barefoot, who literally dominated the 10,000 … so much that he has promised to sponsor our next activities … hopefully he will keep his promise!
Our marathon started Thursday afternoon with the meet up … putting together 29 athletes coming from 6 different villages, some students others working, is not, in Zambia, as easy as you can imagine … some given for lost reached the meeting point in Chikupi alone in the night after somebody thought of calling ‘Missing’ … the fantastic young champion Ramona, 12 years, run 7 km up to our house … exactly the same distance from her house to the meeting point … she wanted to reach the meeting point on a motorized vehicle … then only when we were half way there she remembered the Hangumbwa’s sisters which we left behind at the market in Kafue … Victor the best friend of Eugene, the most fit of all and mathematic winner of the XIII Never Give Up, was a no show despite being the keep safe of his green Nike … Eugene went into crisis from the evening before … at the table he was laughing, but he would have cried if he had been alone … he run wearing Serena’s shoes … but the head was not there … the bastard came the morning, without shoes, and he did not run since he had already been replaced …
The marathon started at 6, the 10,000 at 7 in the morning … we got up at 3 in the night … breakfast … check that everybody is eating … force those who despite the 42 km waiting for them cannot swallow a bite … when we reach the shopping mall the tension rises … we are at a real race with the banner at the arrival, many sponsors, many photographers … we are among the few coming from the bush we are beautiful in our simple white T-shirts with the Sport2build logo … many mainly among the youngest are barefoot … we are there with dignity to remind that Zambia is not only the Levy shopping mall … among the marathoners I understand immediately from the body shape and the outfits there are those who are there to win it, the prize money for the first one is the salary of a watchman for a year … they start fast … ours start slow, maybe too slow … then when at half the race they change the pace they are spectacular for the impetus and the positions they catch up but they fail, for short, to hook the leading group, they get demoralized, some have cramps, they forsake a bit and at the end, Sidney, the first one among ours reaches 17th in 3h06m … it could have gone better but being the first time it was not too bad … in the women Ester Mweesa and Elisabeth Shimaningi take home the sixth and seventh place led for a part by the great ‘Americano’ in a no day … they will take home more than 300 euro each … will it be enough to let the parents understand that sport is for women too? …
In the 10,000 we lined up the youngest among the men Paul Kazembe and Mike Zingani arrived at the heels of the most quoted athletes of the national team and police force, for Paul and Mike now the goal are the Junior nationals where they could get a ticket for the African Junior Championships in Nigeria. Of the girls I partly already spoke, they demonstrated themselves psychologically strong, they understood the opportunity, they did not let inferiority complex take over like some of the boys, they have been really great … an example also for the coaches who at times neglect them and for everybody in the movement … often in Zambia the families are kept together by women and so it was also for the big Sport2build family … We understood that we are quite good at finding good athletes … we still have to understand well how not to lose them … The prize giving ceremony with giant cheque at 7 digits like in tennis, the medals around the neck of the first three, the echo Sport2build will remain in their personal history and in that of Sport2build forever.
Thanks to all, but in particular to:
Milika Mweeswa classified 2nd in the10.000
Muyoya Ramona classified 3rd in the 10.000
Faides Mulyata classified 4th in the 10.000
Florence Mwiinga classified 5th in the 10.000
Malila Silvia classified 6th in the10.000
Eather Mweesa classified 6th in the marathon
Ruth Kapempe classified 7th in the10.000
Elizabeth Shimaninghi classified 7th in the marathon
Yvonne Mwiinga classified 8th in the 10.000
Eukiness Hangumbwa classified 10th in the10.000
Cynthia Hangumbwa classified 11th in the10.000