Date: Monday, 29 July 2024
However, in what was a marked departure from an uninspiring past, this year has seen an Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay boldly defy the odds to achieve a truly historic first in cycling’s most revered race, the Tour de France.
Indeed, the Tour de France is a grueling and utterly demanding cycling race that definitely tests the limits of every cyclist’s inner reserves of strength, stamina and determination.
Apart from the winner of the overall race, there are two other prizes which are yearly up for grabs in the Tour de France and these are the cherished awards for the best sprinter and the best cyclist in the mountainous stages of the testing race.
As per established tradition, the green jersey is afforded to the best sprinter while the polka dot jersey is handed to the cyclist who emerges as the best mountain climber in the annual race.
It should be noted here that Girmay was arguably an unknown quantity on the global cycling landscape at the outset of this year’s Tour de France.
Indeed, it is difficult to over-exaggerate the enormity of Girmay’s sterling accomplishment, which has come totally out of the blue.
It is hoped then that Girmay’s unrivalled heroics in this year’s Tour de France will prompt infinitely greater interest in the sport of cycling among die-hard African sports buffs.
In addition, one hopes that Girmay’s bedazzling exertions will usher in a new era of glorious success in African cycling, one where more of our cyclists can splendidly take the realm of cycling by storm.
Let us now zero-in on the delightful sport of golf, where the sport’s governing body on the home front, the Tanzania Golf Union (TGU) recently announced lofty ambitions of introducing the sport at the primary school level.
Indeed, the announcement is a welcome development for the sport, which has long failed to invest in the entertaining game of golf at the grassroots level.
At this juncture, it should be rammed home that one sure-fire recipe for resounding success in any sport is to invest in youth development.
For example, here on the continent, the pre-eminent football-playing countries are those nations which have carefully invested in grassroots football development.
Such countries include West African football powers like Nigeria and Ghana, who have many a time secured extraordinary triumphs at the FIFA Under-17 and Under-20 football World Cups in the days of yore.
Considering all this then, it is crystal clear to see that the TGU’s move to introduce golf in primary schools is an undisputed praiseworthy step forward.
Let us all fervently hope then that this move yields the desired results.
