She wasn’t even supposed to be there.
asserted
She → suppose → ?
Yet, On Saturday, there she was on the sand at Saly beach, representing Senegal in beach wrestling at Dakar’s Youth Olympics, almost instinctively seizing her opponent and throwing her down.
asserted
she → represent → her
Then came the whistle, the referee’s look, the confirmation, the disbelief.
asserted
whistle → come → ?
She celebrated like Cristiano Ronaldo; the leap, the turn, the “Siu!”
asserted
She → celebrate → Ronaldo
At 16, she had beaten Japan’s Reisa Kojima 5-1 in the 55kg final to win Senegal’s first Youth Olympic gold.
asserted
she → beat → gold
A teenage girl had delivered a medal in a sport so often described as belonging to men.
asserted
girl → deliver → men
The crowd roared.
asserted
crowd → roar → ?
Diatta danced, defiant, before wrapping herself in green, yellow and red.
asserted
Diatta → dance → green
Beneath the Senegalese flag’s green star, a new star was born.
asserted
star → bear → star
Her path here began when her older sister Jeannine was injured and could not enter a wrestling tournament at a sport camp.
uncertain
sister → begin → camp
Diatta took her place.
asserted
Diatta → take → place
She won her first bout.
asserted
She → win → bout
The footballer kept wrestling.
asserted
footballer → keep → ?
“They said wrestling would make me less feminine,” explains Diatta – the “they” she is referring to are the adults around here.
asserted
she → say → ?
Out of teenage defiance, she persisted in the sport.
asserted
she → persist → sport
Watching proudly was coach Isabelle Sambou, twice an Olympian herself.
asserted
Sambou → watch → ?
She had wanted this gold for Senegal long before her young wrestlers were old enough to compete.
asserted
wrestlers → want → Senegal
“I wanted to win gold for Senegal when I was an athlete,” she said.
asserted
she → want → Senegal
“Today, I have my reward.”
asserted
I → have → reward
She would soon have another reason to celebrate as another Senegalese teenage hopeful, 16-year-old Maguette Diop, stepped into the wrestling circle later on Saturday.
asserted
hopeful → have → Saturday
Diop had been preparing for this moment long before the games, being held from October 31 to November 13 in the Senegalese capital Dakar and nearby towns of Saly and Diamniadio.
asserted
Diop → prepare → Saly
Three months in an intense training camp had helped Senegal’s young wrestlers adapt to beach wrestling, where the rules differed from those of their traditional sport.
asserted
rules → help → sport
In traditional Senegalese wrestling, a wrestler wins by bringing their opponent to the ground, typically onto their back, buttocks or knees, or by forcing them onto all fours.
asserted
wrestler → win → fours
One decisive fall can end the contest.
asserted
fall → end → contest
In beach wrestling, forcing an opponent outside the circle earns one point, as does a takedown.
asserted
takedown → force → point
A throw onto the back earns three and ends the contest.
asserted
throw → earn → contest
Bouts last up to three minutes; the first to at least three points wins.
asserted
first → last → points
Diop had spent months preparing for this moment.
asserted
Diop → spend → moment
On August 27, he had lost to Iran’s Reza Jalilian in the semifinals of the under-17 world championships in Baku.
asserted
he → lose → Baku
Barely two months later, on home ground, he was not about to let that happen again.
asserted
that → let → ground
He reached the boys’ 80kg final feeling confident despite facing Azerbaijan’s Nihad Suleymanli, a two-time under-17 world champion.
asserted
He → reach → Suleymanli
Suleymani wrestled with skill, ignoring the crowd cheering for Diop.
asserted
Suleymani → wrestle → Diop
For a moment, the gold appeared to be slipping away.
asserted
gold → appear → moment
The referee awarded Suleymanli three points.
asserted
referee → award → points
Diop’s coaches urged a challenge.
asserted
coaches → urge → challenge
The replay reversed the decision: Those points belonged to Diop.
asserted
points → reverse → Diop
He had won 4-0.
asserted
He → win → ?
Here, wrestling runs deep.
asserted
wrestling → run → ?
Long before the Olympic flame reached this Atlantic coastline, generations had gathered around circles of sand.
asserted
generations → reach → sand
Laamb, Senegal’s traditional wrestling, carries the pride of villages and neighbourhoods.
asserted
Laamb → carry → villages
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
