The Corner Flag: More to sport than just winning

Olympian Khotso Mokoena once recounted a story about a sprint race he took part in as a young runner in his hometown of Ratanda, Heidelberg.

Mokoena lined up in his lane and when the gun went off, he took off like a house on fire and crossed the line first to win the race.

While celebrating with his friends, Mokoena was surprised with a mild slap on the back of his head from one of his teachers who told him he had lost the race because he stepped on an opponent’s lane.

The Olympic silver medalist was disappointed but his lesson that day was that losing is part of sports. That’s what drove him to succeed as an athlete.

I’ve always believed that in any age-group sports, children should be allowed to have fun rather than being pushed to win at all costs.

I think for children, especially in their formative years, sports is a very important tool to learn valuable life skills like teamwork, winning graciously, accepting defeat, physical fitness and lessons about sportsmanship.

I was left disappointed after an athlete refused to acknowledge the winner of his race during the CGA sub-youth track and field championships at Germiston Stadium on Saturday. (I won’t mention their names or events because these athletes should be protected.)

It was mind-boggling the disdain with which he looked at his rival while accepting their medals before posing for photos on the podium.

The said athlete also chose to look sideways while we were taking photos. He had to be politely reminded by an official that he was denying his fellow runners on the podium an opportunity for a good photo.

Afterwards, I retreated to the stands and eavesdropped on a conversation between a couple sitting next to me. The said athlete’s coach had reprimanded the youngster for not looking at the time the winner posted in his heat.

The coach was wrong.

Competition between athletes will always be present but it must be healthy. You also can’t expect to win all the time. If you are a perennial winner like the athlete at the race, learn to accept adversity. That’s how true champions are made.

It’s also vital for coaches and parents to avoid overhyping athletic ability or the outcome but rather acknowledge how hard the young athletes work.

Losing a race is normal. Losses are a part of life, which is why children should be allowed to have fun instead of being expected to win all the time.

It would also be unfair to blame the youngster for his behaviour because that is truly a reflection of the coaching he receives.

What we can all learn from this is that coaches should stop trying to boost their egos or CVs with how their athletes perform because that expectation weighs heavily on them.

Yes, it was a race to the nationals and the number of athletes in the provincial teams determine whether it was a successful season or not.

But fun should be the name of the game to allow the athletes to fall in love with the sport rather than being forced to perform beyond their expectations.