African Sports Monthly Vol I. Issue II February 2018 | Page 58

“As a first timer, I was really jittery to qualify to the first round after
running in front of thousands of clocking 10.95 seconds in the
spectators in one of the biggest preliminaries.  
stadiums in Africa. After my Returning home to Freetown he would
introduction in the 100m heat I would once again be selected in 2017 to
go on to return a time of 10.77 represent Sierra Leone at the Islamic
seconds”. Games in Baku, Azerbaijan. He clocked
10.75 seconds in the 100m dash, but
A couple of months later, Kamara lit up
then again failed to make the finals.
the Siaka Stevens Stadium with a
spectacular finish in the 100 and 200 The tall and highly focused athlete was
meters dash, lowering his personal best now the focus in the country’s biggest
to 10.46 in the 100m and 21.31 in the athletics gathering for 2017, the 91st
200m men’s final at the 2015 Boxing Edition of the Boxing Day
Day Championship Meet. Since then, Championship, where he smashed his
he has been reckoned as the fastest personal best in the 100 meters. He was
man of his generation. quick to pull away from the starting
Earlier in 2016, he was selected as part block maintaining his lead all the way
of the team that would go on to the to the finish line; completing the race a
Gambia for the West Africa Region II full step ahead of his main rivals, Sahid
Junior Championship where he won a Othman and Vivian Williams. He
silver medal in the 100m. returned a time of 10.13 seconds in the
100 meters and 21.26 seconds in the
Finishing as a runner up in the Gambia, 200 meters. These were his fastest
the Makeni born athlete, was selected times ever in both events in his
to represent Sierra Leone at the Rio athletics career.
Olympic Games in Brazil. His fortunes in “As soon as I crossed the finish line, I
Brazil were not as prominent, he failed knew I had run my fastest time in the