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The 'phenomenal' adventure of Shaka Sola
Tuesday 9 August 2005
Helsinki - When group A of the men’s Javelin Throw qualification round got underway in an expectedly packed Olympic stadium this morning, the focus of the fans and media alike was obviously on local hero Aki Parviainen and Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway.
Yet, there was one name on the starting list which was intriguing: Shaka Sola of Samoa, entered with no personal best.
After an opening effort which landed at 38.31m, well below the average distance of the other fifteen entrants, Shola was greeted with a very warm applause by the Finnish crowd.
But that was only a prelude to the loud cheer and support the 28-year-old received for his second attempt of 41.18m, a mark which was ratified as a new personal best.
The story of Sola is not one of performances or centimetres, it is more of a human story, one that makes athletics not just an elite affair but the most universal of all sports.
Missed flight
Originally entered in the Shot Put, Shola missed his plane and only arrived in Helsinki two days ago.
“I missed my connection flight from Palau to Manila and was stuck in Palau for three days. The first available flight was on Saturday 6 August, the same day I was supposed to compete,” said a smiling Sola.
A lovely young man who doesn’t miss a chance to joke about his mishap, Sola described World Shot Put champion Adam Nelson as a “lucky man”.
“I tell you, the guys were lucky I missed my plane, or else the Shot Put would have had a different champion,” he jokingly declared to the numerous journalists who had gathered to listen to his unusual story.
“Seriously, I am disappointed I missed the Shot Put. I think I could have improved on my personal best of 18.57m and it would have been a great chance for me to compete with the best in the world.”
A former rugby player Sola arrived in the Finnish capital on Sunday 7 August when the Shot Put and Discus Throw finals had already been contested and the Hammer Throw qualification round had already concluded.
Phenomenal competition
“I wasn’t going to come here and not compete. I looked at the schedule and all the throwing events but the javelin had already started so I didn’t really have any other solution. My manager went to see the officials and they let me compete in the Javelin today.”
And what better event than what is considered in Finland as the premiere track and field discipline.
“It was great to be part of the championships. Competing here is phenomenal. Everyone in the stands knows about the sport and they cheer you up no matter what.”
“Finland is most definitely one of the best places I’ve been to as far as throwing is concerned. Usually fans hype up for the sprints and that’s all but here they support everyone, throwers and jumpers alike.”
At the Athens 2004 Olympics, Sola competed in the Discus Throw but has since decided to concentrated on the Shot Put.
“I used to be a rugby player like the majority of all other kids back in my country but I then decided to concentrate solely on track and field. Last year I was a discus thrower, this year I have mainly been doing the Shot Put. But here fate made a javelin thrower of me!”
“Athletics is my life. I love the sport and I wasn’t going not to compete here in the World Championships.”
“I was really looking forward to competing today. People in this country go nuts when there’s a javelin competition and it was great to be part of the action.”
And it didn’t seem to matter that his best result was over 40 metres shorter than the effort of defending World champion Sergey Makarov of Russia.
The crowd love you no matter what
“Are you sure I didn’t top the list this morning? I didn’t really check the score board,” was Sola’s prompt reply. “The crowd here love you no matter what. Today they cheered for me because they saw I was the weakest in the field and that is proof of how great a sport athletics is.”
A lovely character Sola admitted he was going to make the most of this trip before returning back home and starting his preparation for the Commonwealth Games where he will definitely return to his main event, the Shot Put.
“For the rest of the week I am just going to be a Samoan tourist in Helsinki. I’m going to do a bit of sight seeing and if there is an eating competition back at the village, I may enter that one!” he concluded with a loud laugh.
Laura Arcoleo for the IAAF