African Sports Monthly Vol I. Issue II February 2018 | Page 57

“Honestly, it was hard for me to be convinced, because my
interest was football. But I decide to give it a try at a
community sport meet where I ran the 100m for the first time
ever and clocked 10.94 seconds. That was how the
transformation of my career started”, said Kamara.
Kamara moved from Makeni “The President of the Sierra
to Freetown in December of Leone Athletics Association
2013, to compete at the (SLAA); Mr. Karim Sesay, was
annual Boxing Day so impressed with my
Championship where he performance that gave me a
made his first appearance in special prize and invited me
the heats, but the test was to come live and train in
tough for him because he Freetown at his residence,
would fail to progress past which is where I currently live
the semi-finals stages. as I pursue my training with
the Camp Canada Athletics
After months of training, he
Club”.
was selected to represent his
region in the National Kamara’s arrival in Freetown
Championship hosted in Bo created a buzz and sparked a
town in June of 2014. His lot of tension amongst the
speed in the 200 meters was local athletes around the city.
simply electrifying. He would A few months later, he
go on to win the race becomes the fastest athlete
clocking 21.27 seconds but in a trial organized for the
finished third in the 100m selection of athletes to
dash with a time of 10.66 represent the country at the
seconds. Ishamail had come 2015 Brazzaville All Africa
of age and the news spread Games. He won both the 100
like wildfire through local and and 200 meters to make his
national media that a new international debut.
sprinter was born.