Born and bred in the penurious Kavango-East region of Namibia, Christine Mboma most likely never envisioned nor imagined that she will one day be the subject of not just national but massive global attention.
Christine Mboma is an 18-year-old Namibian teenager, abandoned by her biological father as a new-born baby. Her mother died in during childbirth, so she was instead raised by her grandmother. As a little black girl growing up in abject poverty, the exercise of dreaming, of imagining a world of possibilities may have been foreign to her. That is until she was discovered by her coach, Henk Botha, less than 5 years ago. Coach Botha also doubles as her school principal, opening up a world of endless opportunities, not just in field track, but also academically.
Most Namibians started paying attention to the teenager in May 2021, when the teenager repeatedly appeared in local media for dominating 400m races, in preparation for her Olympics debut. Greater attention was bestowed upon her, when she and her teammate, Beatrice Masilingi, were banned, for “possessing higher than normal testosterone levels”. Many Namibians were angry, and many cried “systematic racism” for alienating and excluding Africans who possessed superior and distinct excellence. The Caster Semenya case was referenced by many, some even thought that the ban would be the end for the young Mboma.
However, a few weeks after the ban, Mboma and her coach announced that she will still be participating in the Olympics, but solely for the 200m women races. Some doubted her dominance in the 200m sprints, but as a supportive nation, we held thumbs and hoped and prayed for at least a medal for Mboma. Low and behold, our young sprint queen conquered over experienced athletes and won silver in the 200m women race, becoming the first Namibian woman to win an Olympics medal in history.
A few weeks after the Olympics, Mboma participated in the World Athletics Under20 Championships, where she obtained a gold medal in the 200m women race. Namibians were proud, and many shed tears of joy when the Namibian national anthem was played in Nairobi, Kenya.
Thereafter, Mboma stormed to victory in Brussels, in what was her Diamond League debut, once again dominating over veteran athletes, which was followed by a win at the Diamond League finals in Zurich, where she set a new world under 20 record. Her final race for the season was on Saturday, 18th September 2021 where she continued to dominate by winning the women's 200m race at the 2021 World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series (Kip Keino Classic) in Nairobi, Kenya.
Christine Mboma is young but she has proven that age is but a number. As it is, Mboma’s name has been inscribed among the names of global legends. Mboma was born in impossibilities, yet she managed to thrive and rewrite her story.
As such, when Mboma dashes to victory in a race, she foreshadows the possibilities for every black girl born in impossible conditions. Mboma carries our dreams, and we are proud of her.
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