Sierra Leone Paralympics athlete ranked number 1 in Africa

By Magdalene S. Konneh
The Only African athlete to reach the finals of the men’s Long Jump T46/T47 event, Sorie Kargbo of Sierra Leone, finished in 12th Position out of 13 athletes.
The event which took place on Tuesday 31st August 2021, was won by Sol Cervantes Robiel Yankiel from Cuba who jumped a distance of 7.46 metres, followed by Townsend Roderick of the USA who jumped 7.43 metres and Kotukov Nikita of RPC in 3rd position with 7.34 metres.
Sorie is a T46 (One Arm) classified athlete, but he was included in the class of T47 (Two Arms) athletes and his best jump was 5.78 meters.
Sorie went to the games with 4.56 metres which he jumped in Tunisia during the qualification in March 2021.
Despite finishing below the pecking order, he was able to improve his Personal Best (PB) and set a new T46/T47 Long Jump record in Africa.
Speaking to Sorie Kargbo after the event, he stated that he was disappointed with the outcome of his performance, which wasn’t good enough for him as he was hoping to finish within the first 5.
He added that even though the outcome of the result was frustrating, he was able to make a landmark as the first African to reach the finals.
“It’s is a new beginning for me as I am now ranked number one in Africa by the African Paralympics Committee, and such responsibility required more effort to maintain and improve at the same time”, Sorie asserted.
©Mags Tribune Sports