“I am prepared to put Salone on the map’’ – Ola Sesay
Ahead of the Olympic Games, the first athlete in Sierra Leone’s history to qualify for the Olympic Games, Ola Sesay, said that she is “prepared to put Sierra Leone on the map,” in this year’s Olympic Games in London slated for 27th July -12th August 2012. (Ola Sesay during a training session)
She made this statement after her first training and went further to say that she is going to do everything possible to make sure the Sierra Leone flag flies very high during the games.
Ola also revealed that she never knew that she was the first Sierra Leone athlete to qualify for the Olympic games, which she is very proud of, and for that reason, she is going to do everything possible to make sure that Sierra Leoneans are proud of her after the games.
Ola mentioned that her first target during the games is to qualify to the final, and from there to move to the stage to receive a medals, this being her main aim and objective.
She also revealed that this is the third time she is representing Sierra Leone and that the arrangements for the Olympic Games this time around have been better than the two previous competitions in Germany and India.
When asked how long she has been in sports, Ola said she has been in sport for some 20 years now and during that period if she has knew early on she could have represented Sierra Leone before this time, but she will never regret taking such decision to represent Sierra Leone at this particular time.
When asked if she knew about any other Sierra Leonean athletes in the USA that want to represent the country Ola Sesay said yes, like Catherine Eke who missed the qualifying time by 0,02 seconds in the 400 meters and a host of other athletes who want to represent the country.
Ola also stated that she started doing long jump alongside hurdles when she was 12 years of age in America and during her first long jump competition she won and was awarded a scholarship, from were she went to college. During her college days she decided to focus just on the long jump because she was excelling in the event, and she decided to leave hurdles behind.
Ola Sesay said that during her 20 years in sports she only had three coaches, two during her college days, and the one she is having presently. She stated that she does not like to change coaches as it is the continuity that has taken her to this height.
When asked if she will be available to represent the country in the next four years in Brazil in another Olympic Games Ola said that is a decision she cannot not make alone as she is now a married woman and she would like to have children while she is young, however, she hopes to be around for the next Commonwealth Games in Scotland in two years time.
Ola calls on all Sierra Leoneans to pray for her during the competition that she achieves a very good long jump that will able her to win a medal for the country in such a major event.
by Bernard Turay, Hastings, UK
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