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Commonwealth Games champion Ferdinand Omanyala will face an unusual challenger from Tuvalu who trains on his island's airport runway.
When Africa's fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala lines up on the starting blocks at the Paris Olympics few will be as uniquely prepared as his competitor from Tuvalu, Karalo Maibuca, who trains on an airport runway.
Maibuca, the only athlete representing his tiny island nation in Paris faces an uphill battle against world-class sprinters like Noah Lyles and Christian Coleman.
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Yet, the 25-year-old’s journey from a remote Pacific runway to the grand stage of the Olympics is a tale of resilience and sheer determination.
Maibuca's training ground is the tarmac of Funafuti's airport one of the few open spaces available in Tuvalu a country with a population of just 11,000 and no proper athletic facilities.
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"It’s true we don’t have any track here for field events. If people come and train here, they run on the airfield," said Melei Melei, secretary general of Tuvalu's Olympic committee as per AFP.
Despite these challenges, Maibuca has managed to carve out a name for himself on the international stage.
At the Tokyo Games he set a national record for Tuvalu even though he did not advance past the preliminary heats and this year his sights are set even higher.
"Training has been good, all the preparation is on Paris, plenty of track work," Maibuca shared.
He has been training at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, which offers more suitable facilities for an athlete of his caliber and his goal for the Paris Olympics is clear: to better his Tokyo time of 11.42 seconds.
His competition is fierce, standing against world-renowned sprinters like Omanyala, American Noah Lyles, and Christian Coleman.
However, Maibuca is unfazed by the stature of his competitors.
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"That is my target at the moment, to get a new personal best in Paris," he stated.
The Stade de France will be a stark contrast to the quietude of Funafuti's runway.
In front of an 80,000-strong crowd, Maibuca will not only represent Tuvalu but also hope to inspire a nation that sees him as a beacon of hope and perseverance.
He carries the weight of his nation's hopes a burden he seems more than ready to bear.
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