Tragic Samia’s story can yet inspire
First World aspirations.
A sad story on the BBC website detailed how an abundance of Olympic spirit is sometimes not nearly enough to overcome odds stacked sky high.
Samia Yusuf Omar competed for Somalia in Beijing, where she ran the 200m in borrowed spikes and finished a distant last in her heat. But there was pride. “It was the happiest moment we ever had because we took our flag. We raised our flag. We felt like we were very important people.”
Omar vowed to return to the Olympics better able to compete. But first, as a Muslim, she had to duck death threats from those at home who opposed women’s involvement in sport. Then she needed to deny her athletic past completely as the Islamist militia al-Shabab banned Somalis from playing or watching sport, wary of its ability to distract and unite. The bombed-out track she once trained on became off-limits.
Now striding the middle distances, Omar fled to Ethiopia, whose officials hummed and hawed about allowing her in their athletics programme. On to Sudan, then up to the Libyan desert where she was held prisoner for months. The next plan was Italy, by boat, where she would find a coach who would guide her to London.
The small boat didn’t make it. Nor did Omar and six others.
Their departed hero — Mo Farah — will, no doubt, inspire a generation of Somalis to run. They will remember Samia Yusuf Omar when they search for the courage.
