Tokyo 2021: Abraham Guem is the epitome of the Olympic thought

When Abraham Guem steps up to the starting line, there are 1,500 meters ahead of him. In the humid heat of Tokyo, this is a particularly strenuous challenge for the body. But the thoughts of home will drive the 21-year-old runner. Guem would like to give the people in his homeland a few carefree moments, to put a smile on the faces of his compatriots. That’s what he always wanted, says the Olympic starter. On Tuesday, Abraham Majok Matet Guem runs for the whole of South Sudan.

The long-distance runner is part of the small delegation from the East African country that entered the huge National Stadium in Tokyo for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Guem was even allowed to carry the flag. He was followed by sprinter Lucia Moris, trainer Joseph Omirok and three officials. They all had suffered great hardship for this moment. Because there is a long journey behind the team.

“It’s incredibly exciting in the Olympic Village. Everything works very well. On the first day we moved into our rooms and had a nice dinner. The next day we even got a new mobile phone as a gift, ”says Guem when WELT reached him on the phone a few days after the games started. He sounds grateful. Then the young athlete begins to talk.

“I’ve found a kind of second home”

Guem and his colleagues traveled to Japan 21 months ago. They had come to train for the Olympics in Maebashi, a small town about two hours’ drive from Tokyo – until the coronavirus thwarted their training plans. When the games were postponed because of the pandemic, the small group faced a difficult decision. The fear of not being allowed to travel to Japan a second time because of the strict regulations drove athletes and coaches to stay in the host’s country.

From now on, Guem and his compatriots were stuck 11,000 kilometers away from their homeland. An uncertain future ahead, but with the firm will to represent your country at the Olympics – whenever. Instead of quarreling with their predicament, the newcomers did everything in their power to integrate: They got to know the residents of Maebashi, attended Japanese and computer courses four times a week at the university, tried local dishes and trained together with the others Students. The guests’ commitment touched the residents of Maebashi. They started raising money and providing the team with running shoes and sportswear. The city’s dental association donated free treatments to the athletes during their stay. The South Sudanese dream of Olympia should definitely come true.

“As foreigners, we were initially not allowed to take part in many competitions. If so, then we ran out of competition. That wasn’t very fulfilling, ”Guem remembers the problems in the early days. It was only after the South Sudanese federation wrote a letter to the government in Tokyo that its athletes could take part in Japanese sporting events did the times of the Africans count. Maebashi is now the official residence of the South Sudanese athletes. “I’ve found a kind of second home. The volunteers, trainers, teachers and translators have become our family. They are always good to us and give us important information, ”emphasizes Guem in a soft voice. “My fellow travelers from training are like real brothers to me. We really had a good time. “

Running training in South Sudan is a fight against shortages

A good time, Guem hoped for as a child on the streets of Juba, today’s capital of South Sudan. He ran his first race in his black chunky school shoes. Nevertheless, the gaunt boy floated over the track so quickly that a trainer gave him new running shoes afterwards. Guem was still on the road with them long after the soles were worn out. There was no money for a new couple. It was only when his high school recognized the tall student’s abilities that they loaned him athletic shoes, which he passed on to the younger students after graduation.

Running training in South Sudan is not only about fighting with your own body, but also against deficiency. Some runners came to training without a solid meal in their stomachs, Guem recalls. Instead of running on a springy tartan track, he and his colleagues ran on dusty sandy slopes. At the Africa Games in Morocco two years ago, Guem only needed 3: 45.94 minutes for the one and a half kilometers, the national record for his home country. Then the Olympic team invited him.

also read

Guem now considers the postponement of the games to be an advantage. He trained very hard last year. So hard that he sometimes ran five seconds above his best time in competitions because his legs got too heavy towards the end of the race. In the Olympic year, Guem therefore reduced the workload a little. He wants to be in top form at the games. One is on a mission, his trainer Omirok recently affirmed with pithy words: soldiers who go to war would not expect to return home either. “I think he wanted to say that in both sport and war, only one thing counts: win,” says Guem.

Only in Syria and Afghanistan are more people on the run

Both know what they’re talking about. A civil war has divided their homeland for many years. Around 400,000 people have lost their lives in the youngest country on earth (founded in 2011) since 2013. One in three people in South Sudan had to leave their homes. Only in Syria and Afghanistan are more people currently on the run. “There are deep rifts between people, there is war and above all a lot of misunderstandings,” says Guem.

The corona pandemic has further worsened the situation in South Sudan, which is the poorest country in the world with a gross domestic product of 228 US dollars per capita. While Guem was able to be vaccinated in Japan, the humanitarian situation in his homeland prevents an effective fight against the virus. Although the authorities have so far only counted 11,000 cases among the estimated eleven million inhabitants, the number of unreported cases is likely to be much higher. Little is tested, only 0.04 percent of the population are fully vaccinated.

Having to witness all of this from a distance is really very hard, Guem admits in a halting voice. Concern for family and friends has accompanied him since he left: “When I was homesick, I went to my Japanese fellow travelers. I shared my sadness with them. After that I felt better and better and was able to go back to my room by myself. “

Guem is only allowed to start at all thanks to a special permit

The phone is Guem’s only connection to his loved ones. On good days, the network in his home country is stable enough to start a video chat. Then he sees his parents for a few minutes. Many of his compatriots also wrote to him and the other athletes. “We feel that they are behind us,” says Guem. A rare feeling of unity in the divided country.

In April Guem ran the 1500 meters at an athletics meeting in Tokyo faster than ever before: 3: 42.99 minutes. Even so, this time is over seven seconds slower than the official Olympic standard for its discipline. The long-distance runner is only allowed to start the games in the preliminary run thanks to a special permit. Guem still believes in his chance. He hopes not to be eliminated immediately, maybe even to make it to the semi-finals. But above all, he wants to make his country proud.

also read

“What do I really love about the whole thing? The five of us come from different corners of South Sudan. But we have been working together on behalf of our country for many months, ”says Guem, looking back on the challenging time in Japan. They want to be role models for peace. “If I respect the person next to me, then I won’t have a problem. Because the man next to me has no reason to hate me. It would be wonderful if all citizens of South Sudan develop this attitude. “

In this way, his torn country could build a strong society. “As a unit, you reach the highest level faster. Then every individual will also become stronger, ”says the athlete with conviction. On Tuesday, Abraham Guem has just under four minutes to inspire his compatriots. He wants to use it.