An athlete of Australian-Sierra Leonean descent triumphed in the 100-meter race at the traditional Boxing Day sporting event.
By Magdalene Konneh
Michael Dopeii Konomanyi, an Australian-Sierra Leonean sprinter, put in an impressive performance at the 2023 Traditional Boxing Sports at the Bo Stadium in Bo Town, Sierra Leone, earning him the gold medal in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.06 secs.
After an irregular start that had one of the athletes disqualified for jumping the gun, Dopeii stayed cool and ran without any pressure from his competitors.
He is the first Sierra Leonean athlete living in Australia to take part in the Traditional Boxing Day Sports and win the 100-meter sprint event after numerous years. “I’ve had it in my mind for a while that I have much more to give to this event,” he commented.
“I worked hard on the 100 meters this year, even with the series of injuries I encountered earlier in the season.”
Dopeii has a solid track record, beginning as a junior athlete in Australia. He was part of the Australian Junior Athletics team six years ago and won a silver medal in the Oceanian Junior Championship in both 100 and 200 meters.
Despite the several setbacks from injuries, he was aware of the need to improve his timing in the 100 meters to move up in his signature event.
“I came here to prove a point, and I achieved my goal. I know the home-based athletes are going through a lot of stress with so much going on. Lack of good training facilities, lack of sponsors and many other things affecting their career, but this is a race and the fastest athlete wins”, he said.
He has raced in a variety of competitions across Australia, keeping his form up for potential inclusion in international athletics events.
In the 100-meter dash, the Australia-based athlete outshone the other sprinters and powered to victory with ease as he breezed across the finish line.
