JOHN STEPHEN AKHWARI Celebrates 85th birthday as Mexico City bids for 2036 Summer Olympic Games

By

Mexico presents their intent to host 2036 Summer Olympics to Thomas Bach of IOC

While competing in the marathon in Mexico City, Akhwari cramped up due to the high altitude of the city. He had not trained at such an altitude back in his country. At the 19 kilometer point during the 42 km race, there was jockeying for position between some runners and he was hit. He fell badly wounding his knee and dislocating that joint plus his shoulder hit hard against the pavement.

He however continued running, finishing last among the 57 competitors who completed the race (75 had started). The winner of the marathon, Mamo Wolde of Ethiopia, finished in 2:20:26. Akhwari finished in 3:25:27, when there were only a few thousand people left in the stadium, and the sun had set. A television crew was sent out from the medal ceremony when word was received that there was one more runner about to finish.

As he finally crossed the finish line a cheer came from the small crowd. When interviewed later and asked why he continued running, he said, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race.


 

Akhwari competed for many years before and after the 1968 Olympics. He finished first in the African Marathon Championships before the Olympics. He finished fifth in the marathon at the 1970 Commonwealth Games where he ran a 2:15:05 time.

The winner had run 2:09:28. In those same Games he ran a 28:44 in the 10,000 meter race and was only about 30 seconds behind the leaders. He ran marathons in the 2:20 range on a regular basis both before and after the 1968 Olympics. He was a world class runner for most of the 1960s and 1970s.

Akhwari has lived for many years in his village with his wife and children. They are farmers and work
very hard in the fields. Once in a while the world beckons him back. He was awarded a National Hero Medal of Honor in 1983. 


 

He lent his name to the John Stephen Akhwari Athletic Foundation, an organization which supports Tanzanian athletes training for the Olympic Games. He was invited to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. He later appeared in Beijing as a goodwill ambassador in preparation for the 2008 Games. He was a torchbearer in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania on April 13, 2008, for the Olympic torch relay through his 

SOURCE: Wikipedia and Associates 

Supported by;

https://oregesafariandtours.com/ 

 


Gidabuday Sports Tourism Foundation is a Non Profit Organization based in Arusha. It's main purpose is to promote, sensitize and enforce education through sports, as well as to search and develop new talents for sports from young people from marginalized communities all over the country.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular

GIDABUDAY KUHAMASISHA UJENZI WA KIJIJI CHA MICHEZO TANZANIA LENYE JINA YA MWANARIADHA MKONGWE BW.JOHN STEPHEN AKHWARI

By
Image
Kutoka kushoto ni Rogath John Stephen ,mwanariadha wa kimataifa na mtoto wa mwanariadha maarufu duniani Bw. John Stephen Akhwari ,Phaustin Baha Sulle mshindi wa medali ya fedha katika nusu marathon na Mwanaharakati wa michezo Tanzania Bw. Wilhelm Gidabuday.   ........................................ By Adam Ihucha and Gadiel Urio -Arusha.   Tanzania is set to have a national sports training Village, thanks to an initiative by one of its renowned athletic. The sports academy will be named after the John Stephen Akhwari’, the probably forgotten first Tanzanian athletic to participate in 1968 summer Olympics in Mexico. The World renowned athletic, Wilhelm Gidabuday, who happened to be a Tanzanian is behind the proposed Tsh 1 billion athletic training village, the first of its kind in the country. Mr Gidabuday, and a gifted Arusha based journalist and blogger, Gadiel Urio are currently working extra time to prepare nearly 700km marathon relay in a...
Read more

Rio Olympics: Brazil win men's volleyball gold, GB's Joyce takes boxing silver – as it happened

By
Image
Just look at his face: Bruno Mossa de Rezende (left) after Brazil claimed gold in the men’s volleyball final. Photograph: Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images Brazil did not win a lot of medals; but Brazil hosted the first ever Summer Olympic Games in South America, western countries criticized all efforts put up by South American supper power but they did not bother listening instead they did all they could and today they finished strong. Thanks Rio, thanks Brazil. We hope that some day African Continent will rewrite history to host the first ever Summer Olympic Games. www.gidabuday.blogsports.com wishes all Olympic travelers a safe flight out bounding to their home countries. See you in Tokyo Olympics 2020, god bless Olympics Games. By Wilhelm Francis Gidabuday @gidabudays       
Read more

Olympics 2016: Usain Bolt completes sprint double, Jade Jones retains taekwondo title

By
Image
Bolt's 19.78 seconds is his slowest winning time in an Olympic 200m final Usain Bolt completed a Rio 2016 sprint double by winning the 200m as Jade Jones took Great Britain's gold-medal tally to 22 with taekwondo success. Bolt's eighth Olympic title came in a time of 19.78 seconds, and the Ja maican has one final chance to win gold in Friday's 4x100m relay final. Jones, meanwhile, beat Eva Calvo Gomez to win taekwondo's -57kg division. With three days remaining, Britain are just nine medals short of the  record  65 they secured in London four years ago. They got off to a great start on day 13 as Alistair Brownlee and brother Jonny won gold and silver respectively in the triathlon, and Hannah Mills and Saskia Clark triumphed in the sailing. Elsewhere, Liam Heath and Jon Schofield  won silver  in the men's 200m kayak double, and Marcus Ellis and Chris Langridge  took bronze  in badminton's men's doubles. Nicola Adams  reached the women...
Read more

Rio Olympics: Swimmer Lochte apologises for 'robbery' saga

By
Image
Ryan Lochte's claims prompted a spoof poster to be displayed at the athletics stadium US swimmer Ryan Lochte has apologised for his behaviour in Rio and "for not being more careful and candid". The gold medallist had claimed that he and a group of fellow US swimmers had been robbed at a petrol station. But CCTV footage contradicted that story, showing the men had vandalised the petrol station after partying. Mr Lochte  tweeted : "I should have been much more responsible in how I handled myself and for that I am sorry." He said he had waited to issue the statement until it was clear that his teammates would be returning to the US. Rio's Mayor, Eduardo Paes, accepted the Americans' apologies: "I confess that my only emotion towards them is pity and contempt," he said. "It's a shame that they're such weak characters, that they have such personality flaws and it's up to the American Olympic Committee to sort it o...
Read more