Page 54 - LionKing

INTERVIEW
DIA BA’S
JOURNEY OF
A LIFETIME
By Olaoluwa Rufai & Marietou Thiam-Seye
400m hurdle vice-champion and 6-time Senegalese African champi- on, El hadj Amadoy Dia Ba has spent his life making a mark in the world of ath- letics. He kick-started his career by win- ning the Senegalese high jump league, where he was awarded a sport-study training scholarship to France.
As a result of a knee injury, he switched disciplines and discovered a passion
for the 400m hurdle race. During his 400m hurdle career, he won the African Champion title and the silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul. This resulted in him being ranked among the top 5 world-best 400m hurdle athletes.
After this, he went on to coach, firstly in France and then in Saudi Arabia for four and a half years. His coaching career resulted in his grooming and mentoring of one 400m hurdle runner up and a junior world champion.
He has since then returned to Senegal where he has served as the Director of the African Athletics Centre for the last 10 years. He is in charge of the development of athletics in the French-speaking and Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa.
We sit down with him for a chat on what it Is like to live a life devoted to athletics.
What has changed in your diet since you stopped competing?
Since I stopped competing, I have tried to maintain a healthy diet so as to stay in shape. Diet is very important because I typically feel it when I gain weight; simple tasks like climbing the stairs becomes very difficult. I am very careful with what I eat and I try not to eat fat.
How much practice did you give daily to get to where you were as an athlete?
As an athlete-in-training in France, we trained twice a day; 2 hours in the morn- ing and in the evening. This adds up to 5 hours and 6 hours daily. As a 400m hurdle athlete, let’s just say I had a very intense training regimen.
Since you left the game, what has changed in sports?
It took a while for the youngers athletes to break the 1988 record of about 25 years. However, with the new techniques in the last 4-5 years, it has evolved a lot.
What can be done to create a more
inclusive attitude in competitive sports in Africa?
In Africa, what needs to be done is to create development centres and bring together the best athletes and put them in good conditions. Athletes earn a lot today as part of advertising campaigns. Sport has become a business today
and athletes earn a lot today as part of advertising campaigns. Sports is beyond the scope of entertainment, so we must put the necessary means to put our ath- letes in better conditions working with qualified coaches and that’s how we will have better athletes. We are still behind in some disciplines and we must shine in all areas like our European and American counterparts.
What are you most grateful for?
I’m most grateful for the Olympic Games and the medal I won. The Olympic Games represent the peak in an ath- lete’s life. I missed the medal in 1984 but
I finally arrived there in 1988 at Seoul and made my country proud. The whole world knew Senegal and this young African who defeated the Europeans and the Americans. This remains till this day, my greatest pride.
54 | The Lion King | April - June 2019
Image credit: El hadj Amadoy Dia Ba