Marathon Running – Drama within Drama – Close finishes, Heroes and Villains – Ethiopian Journey - Blog Post – 24

Anderson - Schiess, the never say die swiss marathon Runner 

In the 1984 Olympics, the 39-year-old Anderson-Schiess, the Swiss marathon runner enters the stadium. Unfortunately for her, she missed the fifth and the last water serving station and had become dehydrated.  She is 400 metres from the finish line. She is totally done. She moves, hobbles, her torso horribly twisted, Her left arm limp, her right leg which had lost of its mobility. The volunteers are helpless. If they help, she would be disqualified. 

In front of thousands of spectators who are awed and shocked to their core, the spectacle unfolds. She takes many minutes and the race is forgotten. All the spectators are involved.  As she struggles, her struggle becomes their own. They cheer her on vociferously, the whole way. After many agonizing minutes she still gamely continues and holds her head in her hands. She is in agony but does not give up. She is still at it. It is mind over matter. Her entrance to the Olympic stadium and the struggle to cross the last 400 metres takes her five minutes and 45 seconds. 

Finally, she crosses the line accompanied with deafening roar. The winner too did not get that type of reception! She faints and is taken to a hospital and luckily recovers. There are many runners who have died running or trying to run the marathon. 

Time is such a big issue in sports that it can be a barrier in itself. The 100 (hundred) metres dash is over in ten seconds flat. That is as much time as we take in reading a string of 50 words!  Ask P. T. Usha. She came 4^th in the 400 metres dash in 1984 Olympics. She clocked a heart breaking 55.55 seconds and the bronze medal was won in 55.54 seconds. P. T. Usha was slower by 1/100^th of a second.

Motivating Video, Never give up 

That night it was very difficult for me to sleep. India never won a medal in Track and field. A medal in the track and field was ours for the taking and we missed it by a proverbial whisker! I am sure P.T. Usha does not spend a day without thinking “what if, what if, what if I had just lunged at the finish line” ‘what if, what if’ will linger on for a life time. Too much of a mile-stone to be carried on the slim shoulders of P.T. Usha. Hats off Usha, we are always indebted to you for the lovely memories.

Most inspiring Marathon runner ever 

India beat Pakistan in the inaugural T20 International Cricket World Cup in 2007. In a heart stopping last over, Joginder Singh bowls Misba-Ul-Haque a fairly decent delivery. Misba had a brain freeze and had a real swing at the ball. It is all in the mind. Misba was overcome by the situation. He wanted to be done with it. Sreesanth circles down the ball and takes a well-judged catch and that was that! India wins the world cup.

Spare a thought for all four players in this real life drama.  Misbah-Ul-Haq the batsman, becomes the villain number one in Pakistan. It is easily forgotten that he brought his country so close to winning. He brought them very close – just a stroke away from winning the world cup. Yet so near and yet so far.

On the other side the Indian captain, Ice cold Dhoni who had the guts to bowl Joginder Singh in the last over.  It could have gone horribly wrong and Dhoni would have been left holding both the baby and the bath water! He would have carried the blame for a life time. Just like Chetan Sharma, who even today is blamed for bowling that full toss to Javed Miandad, who swung it to six and win the Australasia cup for Pakistan in 1986.

And what went on in the minds of Sreesanth and Joginder is worth a million dollars! As Sreesanth waited with baited breath, did he get the thought of failing? I don’t know. I think the adrenaline rush takes over and the sports people live in the present! Very easily it could have been the other way round! Pakistan winners and India being the runners up.   So let us be sympathetic to sports persons and understand their problems and try to look at sports with the needed compassion. Let us remember that the players whom we are watching are playing as we can’t or can’t play better than them! 

Sports; makes you die and die for – Ethiopian Journey – Blog post -23

Most of us don’t understand things as they are. We get to see them as depicted by the popular media or by rabble rousers or opinion makers like Arnab (Arnab Goswami is a news Anchor for a Television channel in India). Arnab has made news very watchable but it is more like a rough and tumble, wild west boxing match. Everything is okay as long as many punches are thrown and there is blood and gore.

We are an armchair-sitting generation, that takes most things for granted. Especially more so when it comes to sports. We are critical to the point that we are smug and very self-opinionated. Everything is taken for granted. Allow me to enlighten.

Javier Sotomayor, clearing 2.45 metres, a world record

The world record for high jump for men is 2.45 metres or 8 feet and ¼ inch. You read it right! I can imagine some readers gasping in disbelief! YES 8 feet. You need to take a fast run to the pit, bend backwards and arch your back and sail over the bar. Pressure is building and an inch here and there could be a gold, silver or a bronze medal. Or being called an also run or a failure.  What is heart stopping is that many athletes are between 6 feet to 6.5 feet tall and are expected to jump much more than their height and that too without any support.

That is why I would suggest to my readers to watch the sports live in a stadium. Nothing more exciting than seeing a world class athlete soaring over a high jump bar just like a bird. Or gape like mad as you watch an athlete literally fly as they clear 6 metres to achieve glory in pole vault. 

Sergi Bubka, the legendary pole vaulter from USSR had a mind boggling 28 world records (17 outdoor and 11 indoor) to his credit. 

Bubka set his final world record of 6.15 (20.17 feet) in February 1993 in Donetsk which stood for almost 21 years. He had once said “Every new world record attempt is a nerve shattering experience. It is a height that no one has ever cleared. So unless it is cleared the butterflies in my stomach would never settle down”.

Coming to Ethiopia, we all seem to think that running comes naturally to them. Yes, running is fun and only, if it is for a kilometre or two. But we are talking about pounding kilometres monotonously for days, months or even years. The world record for a marathon is 2 hours 6 minutes to cover 42 Kilometres and 195 metres. Covering 42 kilometres in two hours!  That is covering one kilometre in 3 minutes. At that speed the athletes are literally flying. Their feet are off the ground, bodies are heaving, eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and their entire being drenched in sweat.  They are in a zone of their own. It is fascinating to see people run. For the present generation, even walking to the lift or changing channels of a TV is a chore or a boring exercise!  I urge you all, to atleast try running a kilometre at your own pace to understand our athletes before being critical about them.

The marathon is a killer sport. It entails running 42.195 kilometres at one go and without stopping. A fascinating sport. The only sport that can’t be practised in its totality. One can’t run a marathon every day! Most athletes run the marathon only on the marathon day! Every marathon is a life changing event. It is said that first 10 Kms are fun, second 10 Kms are by practice, penultimate 10 Kms are out of endurance and last 10 Kms are full of pain where every muscle, bone and blood cell is crying out of pain and frustration. There are thousands of reasons to stop and only one reason to continue. The reason is self-belief, to prove a point to yourself and finally the pride of running for the country.  The last 2 Kms are pure torture, the lungs are sobbing, breath is forced, the legs are wobbly and the blood starts accumulating in the eyes. 

Run, Run and run - Ethiopia's romance with sporting glory - Ethiopian Journey - Blog post no - 22

Ethiopian Athletes at the 2012, London Games  

What I am saying might come as a big surprise to a majority of my readers. Most of us have a world view that can frankly be called “navel grazing”. We are so wrapped up with ourselves and our self-belief that we are among the best in the world, if not the best!

For human indices for child development for kids under five, India’s indices are even worse than that of the Sub Saharan countries where some of the worlds’ poorest people reside. So When ever we talk about Ethiopia even among my own academic fraternity there are blank stares. THEY DON’T HAVE a CLUE ABOUT WHAT OR WHERE IS ETHIOPIA.

Happy Ethiopian Kids 

After a Titanic struggle they would come out with a jewel “oh! that country that was starving and where many people died due to famine”. Yes, there is no denying that Ethiopia suffered very badly due to the famine and had to pay a heavy price overcoming the connected stigma.

But the Ethiopia that we saw in 2002, was not that was portrayed to us by the popular media. There was poverty and poor people but they exist in India too.

The second shock is that Ethiopia has a great culture and tradition. Nowhere is it more stark than when it comes to sporting events. India is number one in games like cricket which is played by very few countries.  India also does well in sports where one person or two players play either individually or as a doubles team like Snooker, billiards and Chess.

The only world sport that India does very well is tennis, that too because of individual brilliance. Stars like Sania and Leander Paes have succeeded not due of the system. Rather they have succeeded inspite of the system. There are some bright spots appearing, but very few. We have started to do well in badminton and that too because of Pullela Gopichand Coaching Academy.

High Altitude Training

The one area where all countries try to excel is, in Summer Olympics. Olympics is watched by everyone in the world and countries strain every sinew to get noticed. Countries like USSR, East Germany and the eastern bloc countries in the 70s and 80s and China now tries everything to be in limelight. Success is seen as a sign of arriving at the world scene. It is a signal that the country is economically prosperous and making rapid strides in all spheres of life.

But we have a strange anomaly of the east African countries especially Ethiopia, Kenya, and Eritrea who excel in a big way and turn heads in amazement with their sporting achievements. At the same time, they are classified as middle to low income economies.  Let us look at some cold facts that will jolt the living daylight out of us.

India has been participating in all the Summer Olympics right from first edition in 1986 to the latest and 28^th edition held in 2016 at Rio De Janerio, Brazil. India has got 9 Gold, 7 silver and 12 bronze medals for a total of 28 medals. On the face of it, the tally looks good. Hold on! We are talking about 28 Olympics in all. That is a measly one medal per Olympics. And we are the second most populous country in the world.  One medal per Olympics is unpardonable by any standards.

To make things even more bleak, out of these 28 medals, 11 medals came from field hockey and that includes 8 gold medals. That means in all our Olympic history, WE HAVE WON ONLY ONE INDIVIDUAL GOLD MEDAL.  That individual gold medal was won by Abhinav Bindra in 2008 Olympics. That is a depressing thought for all sports lovers.

Rocky path to success 

On the other side we have the case of Ethiopia, one of the poorest countries in the world, which excels in the field of sports. There are lot of theories; that the high altitude terrain and the training that the athletes get at these high altitudes are the reasons for success. Or that they are genetically predisposed to run long distances. But these reasons are over simplifying a phenomenon that is difficult to explain. Many other countries like Mexico too have high altitude.  

Young Wannabe Olympic Champions 

Other countries have athletes with who have similar low body fat and low carbohydrate food habits. But these other countries could not replicate the successes that the East African runners are churning out with monotonous regularity.

There is definitely something else that motivates East Africans to do so well and that too so consistently. Let’s look at how the nations perform. If we compare all medals won per GDP (in million US dollars): The first rank goes to Jamaica with 67 medals at 4656.011 medals per GDP in million Dollars. Ethiopia comes in at 19^th Rank for 45 medals at 950.570 medals per GDP in million Dollars. 

There is only one country in Africa that does even better than Ethiopia. It is their great neighbour Kenya which comes in at 7^th rank for 86 medals at 1898.036 medals per GDP in million Dollars.

If we look at only gold medals won per GDP, (million US dollars): The first rank goes to Hungary at 169 gold medals at 1294.028 per GDP, in million US dollars, Ethiopia comes in at 12^th with 21 gold medals at 443.599 per GDP, in million US dollars. again only Kenya does even better coming at 8^th at 25 gold medals at 551.755 per GDP, in million US dollars.

Let us look at the medal lists in terms of GDP per $1,000 per capita:

Rank	Country	MEDALS	MEdals/GDPPD
1	China	526	53.673
2	United States	2706	51.250
3	Kenya	86	47.778
4	Ethiopia	45	37.500

Let us look at the medal lists in terms of GDP per $1,000 per capita:

RANK	COUNTRY	GOLD MEDALS	GOLD MEDALS/GDPPD
1	China	213	21.735
2	United States	1083	20.511
3	Ethiopia	21	17.500
4	Kenya	25	13.889

 

All statistics taken from “OLYMPIC MEDALS WON BY NATIONS – A DEEPER ANALYSIS by BMALLON written on JUly 14, 2014. Url: http://olympstats.com/2014/07/14/olympic-medals-won-by-nations-a-deeper-analysis/

Bekoji, town that produced 10 gold medal winning Olympic runners 

Need I say more!. Interestingly, the majority of East Africa’s successful runners come from three mountainous districts that run beside the Great Rift Valley. In Kenya, most of the country’s successful runners come from Nandi region. In Ethiopia, most of the country’s successful runners come from Arsi and Shewa regions. The Ethiopian town of Bekoji, having a population of only 20,000 has won a whopping 16 Olympic medals and 10 of them gold.

In next post we will talk about some of the greatest world class athletes that Ethiopia has produced. And it makes for fascinating reading.

Manchester United, Arsenal, Tezer and Foosball - The heart of Ethiopian Games - Ethiopian Journey - Blog Post no - 21

(Continued from Blog post no - 20)

watching EPL match in a hotel

What do the Ethiopians get in return for the two birr they paid. They get to watch the live telecast and also get a free chilled coca (Coca-Cola). The regular price of the coke in the market too is two birr. So how do Ethiostar or the other hotels that extend the same service get benefited? Simply it’s the hotels’ way of paying back to the society. Most of the youngsters watching the live telecast are from the local community and they are literally the ears and eyes of that area.

And as we know that it is always better to be in friendly terms with the immediate environment in which a business operates. Coca-Cola missed out on building more good will. If Coca-Cola had added some Kolo or a Dabo Kolo, the good will would have increased by leaps and bounds. Delight the customer and make him the brand advocate for a life time!

Manchester United Fans, Ethoipia

But the rivalry that generates the maximum fun, enjoyment, and ribbing and sometimes even clashes and scuffles are the bi-annual matches that involve Manchester United and Arsenal. Manchester United and Arsenal are top notch Premier clubs that boast of fierce fans who are ready to do anything for their team.

Arsenal Fans and Flags 

Come Sunday and we have supporters coming with huge towels or flags with their team colours and logos  and they would boisterously support their own teams. The support for both teams was uniform and other wise close friends almost come to blows over a penalty missed or some injustice meted out to their teams. Arsenal was more popular than Manchester United as Arsenal had more black and players of African origin. Once I watched a Manchester United Vs Arsenal match in BDU auditorium and it will remain as one of the most enjoyable interactions with the football crazy Ethiopians.

Another interesting ethnic game that I saw being played is ‘Tezer’. In this game first a suitable pole is chosen. A long rope may be of two or three feet is firmly tied to the middle section of the pole. At the other end of the rope a small round ball made by a roll of plastic sheet shoved into socks is fixed. The rule of the game is that the players should not touch the rope to which the ball is tied. Also the ball should not touch their clothes. When kicked, if the ball finishes revolving around the pole unchecked by the player in the defender position, the player who kicked the ball will be a winner. I found the acrobatics involved in the game to be of very high calibre!

I should thank my student and now a distinguished faculty at department of accounting, BDU,  Dr. Elefachew Mossisa who has guided me in identifying this game and telling me its name. Betam Konjo (very Good) and ahmesugenalew  (thank you) . Also I should also thank Hider Ali, who has sent very old and rare photos.I will be use them later Hider. 

Of course fun loving Ethiopians also play the loud and very boisterously ‘foosball’. Ethiopians call it Joteni (thanks to Dr. Elefachew Mossisa again) . Table football, also called fuzboll and sometimes table soccer. Foosball is a table-top game that uses figures representing football players, fixed on rotating rods.  To begin the game, the ball is served through a hole at the side of the table, or simply placed by hand at the feet of a figure in the centre of the table. The initial serving side is decided with a coin toss. Players attempt to use figures mounted on rotating bars to kick the ball into the opposing goal. Expert players have been known to move balls at speeds up to 56 km/h (35 mph) in competition.

It is a very engrossing game, but tends to get very noisy. In the chilly evening breeze slightly tipsy Ethiopians and sometimes even foreigners engage and enjoy this maddeningly intoxicating ‘foosball”.

The world most beautiful game - Football and Ethiopia - Made for each other - Ethiopian Journey - Blog Post no - 20

Ethiopian Kids Playing Football

But the game that all the Ethiopians love is Football. For the slim built Ethiopians, playing football comes naturally. They play with anything including cloth rags rounded up as a ball. They can play football continuously and with great élan.  It was a truly fascinating seeing the agility, the body feints and dodges. Football and Africans are made for each other.

Waiting to Get inside 

The passion for football cuts across all demographics like age, class, ethnicity and gender. Ethiopia at that time in 2002 had a magic wand that made it popular with the football crazy Bahirdar residents. Ethiostar had a dish antennae that could beam Super Sports channel. 

EPL, English Premier League

Super Sports has the rights to beam live EPL (English Premiership league) matches. English Premiership League is an England based soccer league that features world class football stars who play for legendary football clubs. EPL is the 4^th most watched sports league in the world.  EPL matches are usually played on Saturday, Sunday and sometimes on Thursday.

IPL, Indian Premier League

According to the same post IPL (Indian Premier League) stands sixth in the list of most watched sports leagues in the world. And Indians should be proud of the fact that IPL is only ten years old whereas the other sports leagues have had a head start. If sheer number of people watching the sport on Television is taken as measure, IPL would be head and shoulder above the other leagues.  Millions of viewers watch matches across India and in many other countries. Many leading cricket players from other countries play in IPL and this had generated lot of spectator interest for IPL across the world.

One advantage India has is its population. Only China could have given it a run for its money. But China has wisely opted out of the race. India very soon will have the dubious distinction for being the most populous country in the world.

The per capita income of Ethiopians in 2000 was around three birr/day. That is slightly less than eighteen rupees. But most poor and underprivileged, earned between one and two birr per day. Before we all become teary eyed and sentimental, let us look at hard facts.

Let me work out the math for you. One birr had lot of purchasing power (one birr = 100 santims). For sixty santims one could get an Injira, fifteen santims could buy a Shai and at the end of the day with the 25 santims remaining, one could buy a glass of Talla (a yellow frothy ethnic Ethiopian beer)! Not bad!

So from an Ethiopian view point, a birr is a lot of money. On Saturday and Sunday, the locals come in hordes to Ethiostar. They dress nattily and are in joyous mood. They pay two birr (that is their one day salary) and get into the dining area and settle into the chairs. They patiently wait for an event that they anticipated for an entire week. Then the TV set flicks on and their favourite EPL match comes on - and it is LIVE. They start screaming, hollowing and enjoying themselves. This continues for the entire duration of the match.