On August 7, 1992, Ethiopian Derartu Tulu became the first black African to win an Olympic title by winning the 10,000 meters at the Barcelona Olympic Games. But it is her lap of honor in the company of her runner-up, the South African Elana Meyer, which will mark history forever.
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“ What a finish, we couldn’t have dreamed of better! » The inimitable voice of French journalist Patrick Montel, who knows how to freeze time and awaken emotions, resonated in the Lluis-Companys Olympic stadium in Barcelona. The commentator’s phrasing accurately reflects the historic event, live, when the young 21-year-old Ethiopian Derartu Tulu passes in front of the South African five years her senior, Elana Mayer, in the final straight of the 10,000 meters. A gold medal forever for Tulu and silver for Mayer.
But it’s what happens after the finish line that will remain engraved in the memory. The two competitors fall into each other’s arms, Mayer accompanies Tulu for her lap of honor, each draped in the flag of her country. Together. A highly symbolic “black” and “white” image in the context of South Africa’s return to the Olympic Games after its banishment due to apartheid since 1964.
“ Face each other and love each other »
Two years ago, Nelson Mandela was released and the world watched as this “rainbow nation” was once again invited to the international table. Tulu and Meyer, whose two countries are 4,000 kilometers apart, would symbolize the rapprochement between the ex-banished and the rest of the world. Without words! “There was a lot of emotion, because it was both of our first Olympic experiencestold Derartu Tulu to the newspaper The Team in October 2022. The moment I entered the stadium, the victory lap, the fact that I didn’t understand English and what Elana said to me. I kept smiling at him, it was the only answer I could give him. »
Once again, sport served as a vector; a 10 kilometer race on the Olympic stage and two athletes who connect the world, when everything was against them. The “black” Ethiopian born in the small village of Bekoji, who also gave birth Kenenisa Bekele. An Oromo who divided her time between tending livestock and running in the highlands of her village. Opposite, the “white” woman from South Africa, nursed in the town of Albertinia, in the atmosphere of apartheid. For a long time, she will run with frustration while waiting to participate in an international competition. And to make an appointment with history.
“ Two people, who should never have met before, were able, today, to confront and love each other », Launched the former French marathon champion Bernard Faure, invited on the set of the France Télévisions Games. At his side, Patrick Montel released these words: “ I hope this image can be a great, great symbol for years to come. » She will be much more than that…