When all the runners who had been running far ahead passed the finish line, suddenly heavy rain began pouring down the track as if a hole had been punched in the sky.
The tiny body of the 20-year-old female track and field athlete, who entered the competition with her anemia in full swing, soon cooled down, and her stride gradually shortened until she trudged.
However, the sense of responsibility in her heart that she could not give up on the stage of her first international competition held in her home country, Cambodia, urged her to keep moving.
The valuable race of Cambodian Bow Samnang (20), who was the last to cross the goal line in the women’s 5000m finals at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) held in Phnom Penh on the 8th (local time), gave a calm impression to the world. are doing
According to reports by AFP and Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 17th, Bow encountered athletics while attending a middle school outside Phnom Penh.
It was a harsh environment where he trained on concrete or dirt floors with a pair of shoes he usually wears, but his running skills soon began to stand out.
In 2016, he was selected for the national support program, and in 2021, five years later, he was selected for the national team.
He went to China last year and devoted himself to preparing for the Southeast Asian Games.
However, on the day of the final, he suffered from erythrocytopenia, which he suffered from as a child.
As the symptoms of anemia worsened before the start of the game, the coaching staff stopped him from playing.
Samnang recalled that time, “The trainer told me to give up running because I was worried about my health, but I was determined to do my best in the race for my country.”
He says that the thought of his father, who passed away first a few years ago, also helped to solidify his heart.
That’s how the final match started, and Samnang started to fall behind from the beginning.
Shortly after all but Samnang crossed the finish line, heavy rain began to pour, making Samnang’s run more difficult.
But he didn’t give up and ran for a few more minutes and finally finished the race. It was a record of 22 minutes and 54 seconds, 5 minutes and 54 seconds behind Vietnam’s Nguyen Thio An, who took first place.메이저놀이터
“When I reached the finish line, I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t win, but I was also happy,” said Samnang. “People gave me a lot of encouragement despite the fact that I lost.”
After the actual game, he suddenly became a star in Cambodia, and Prime Minister Hun Sen personally sent a congratulatory message to encourage his perseverance.
AFP said, “It was a very big deal to host the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, where memories of civil war and genocide are still fresh. I became famous,” he said.
“I wanted to show that no matter how slow or fast, everyone can reach their destination in the same way in life,” said Samnang. “We must not give up and do our best.”
Prime Minister Hun Sen gave Sam Nang a separate prize of $10,000, which he said he plans to use to support his family. He wants to go to college this year and major in information technology (IT) and law, and many universities have already offered scholarships.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) posted a special page introducing Samnang on its homepage that day and said, “Tears flowed on Samnang’s face after passing the finish line mixed with rainwater, and emotions spread.”