Author: SULEIMAN JONGO
AfricaPress-Tanzania: CAN you purposely let your opponent beat you in a competition?, this happened in Dar es Salaam yesterday when an experienced marathoner, Arafa Msalo (29) delayed herself to let a 13- year old amateur Suzana Gabriel overtake her to win the so-called Ruzinga Fun Run’s 20- kilometre race held in Kunduchi.
Her decision to let Gabriel overtake her in the last lane was just to ‘encourage’ her that she is brave enough to win the race despite being a teenager.
“In the first place, I regarded her as a serious challenger and because of my prowess and experience, I, without doubt knew that I was going to beat her,” “The first 10 kilometres was tense, she managed to show up an opposition, but the more she was running, the more she was getting tired,” “I sympathised with her and we had to stop so that she manages to rest, said Msalo, who finished second in Kigamboni Marathon recently.
“ When I looked at her face, she really looked very young and it could be a shame on me to beat a 13-year old girl, who made her third debut in athletics,” said the second winner of 42.1 km Goba Marathon.
Msalo, who is due to travel to Germany next year to compete in invitational Berlin Marathon, said that they had to walk and run until to the last when she posed back for Gabriel top show up first at the finish podium and emerged winner.
“I felt happy to see her winning the race and she also felt happy to do so,” “But honestly, if she were a competent runner of my age, she could not manage my fast pace, I planned to open my wings in the 11th kilometre to win, but I felt sorry for that just to encourage her,” she said.
She has however said that Gabriel (with a good height) is a good runner, looking older, but manages to compete in high class race that does not match her age.
“She will become a World class marathoner because of her passion,” she said.
Gabriel, who dropped from secondary secondary because her parents could not manage the school fees said that she felt happy to run alongside an experienced marathoner.
She said that she could not be able to finish the race as she got tired as the race progressed but Msalo gave her a good companion.
“My passion is to become a World class runner,” she said.
Historically, her maiden event was the so-called Atlas Marathon, where she competed in the 10 kilometres and finished out of best 10 runners.
She recently took part in the Unniversity of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) Marathon and finished 7th in the 10-kilometre race.
An official with Athletics Tanzania (AT) Tullo Chambo said that it is normal for athletes ( especially those who come from the same country) to back up one another for a brave finishing.
He said that Msalo was favourite to win the title but she felt discomfort to do that against a young runner.
Their 20-km category had only two participants, the reason which Msalo said was inevitable for her to let Gabriel behind her
