Worldathletics.org
Braima Dabo thought he did the obvious when he stopped to help Jonathan Busby on the tracks a year ago in Doha.
It was the opening heat of the men’s 5000m at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. The race had been won by Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega and every runner had crossed the line finish line except Dabo, representing Guinea-Bissau, and Jonathan Busby from Aruba.
Dabo was overtaking Busby when he observed that the Aruban was in real pain and wasn’t going to make it, so he stopped to help.
"This was someone who needed help,” says Dabo in Portuguese, "so I went to help, nothing more. It was normal.”
Except the world disagreed with Dabo; it was not an entirely ordinary thing to sacrifice one’s race to help a rival over the finish line. The pair received a standing ovation as they crossed the finish line together at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, but that was nothing compared to what followed.
That singular act of rare sporting kindness hit headlines all over the world. The story appeared on TV, newspapers and was lauded online and on social media networks. A clip of the moment has, to date, had more than seven million views across World Athletics’ platforms.
Dabo was hailed for great sportsmanship and became the subject of media frenzy in Doha, something he did not quite understand.
"What happened in my life after that was like a nightmare,” says the 27-year-old with a big laugh. "When I saw the attention that people gave me in Doha, at first I was afraid. I did not understand why because I thought it was normal. It is only when I returned to Portugal that friends helped me understand why it was such a big deal.
"After that, I felt gratitude that people showed me love and cared about me and I felt blessed and I am very thankful to everyone.”
In November 2019, Dabo and Busby flew to Monaco where the Bissau-Guinean received the International Fair Play Award at the World Athletics Awards.
Busby after Doha
If Dabo has been living the dream since Doha, the man he helped has been living the complete opposite.
For Busby, the crippling pain he experienced that day on the track heralded a challenging period to come.
"In Doha it was a combination of dehydration plus injury,” says Busby. When he returned home, he continued to race with disappointing results.
"After Doha I participated in four races but I didn’t perform optimal. Normally I win races in the Caribbean but people started beating me, I got tired easily and the races were not like how it used to go. So I had to take a break.”
The 34-year-old long distance runner says he’s been trying to pinpoint the exact problem with little success.
"I’ve had x-rays on my hip and my back, but they saw nothing. I am still very stiff right now in my abductors.”
He received a lot of attention after Doha, but all of it wasn’t positive.
"At first I could see very positive messages from around the world. But then I saw some negative messages that affected me. I was struggling with them.”
To make things worse, Busby lost two jobs and his home, and then the coronavirus exploded in Aruba. He was later diagnosed with bipolar depression and spent more than three months in a clinic for treatment.
"I am just doing my best right now to keep positive. I am living at a friend’s house right now, just trying to get myself back together.”
Friendship for life
Busby and Dabo have become fast friends, even with the distance and language barrier between them. Busby speaks no Portuguese and Dabo no English, so how have they managed to stay in touch?
"I downloaded a translator on my phone and when he says something I put it in there, so the language has never been a barrier,” says Busby. "From the moment we had in Doha, Jonathan is like a brother,” says Dabo.
"The Covid situation added stress to Jonathan’s life but we have talked about it and slowly things are getting better and now I am not so worried. I hope the worst is over.
"I was really looking forward to visiting him in April when Aruba’s government sent me an invitation but with all of Covid -19 going on in the world, it was not possible to travel to Aruba. Jonathan is a very nice guy, very humble, so it’s a friendship for life.”
Athletics will be back in action in Doha soon this month when the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium hosts the Wanda Doha Diamond League on September 25.
Braima Dabo thought he did the obvious when he stopped to help Jonathan Busby on the tracks a year ago in Doha.
It was the opening heat of the men’s 5000m at the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019. The race had been won by Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega and every runner had crossed the line finish line except Dabo, representing Guinea-Bissau, and Jonathan Busby from Aruba.
Dabo was overtaking Busby when he observed that the Aruban was in real pain and wasn’t going to make it, so he stopped to help.
"This was someone who needed help,” says Dabo in Portuguese, "so I went to help, nothing more. It was normal.”
Except the world disagreed with Dabo; it was not an entirely ordinary thing to sacrifice one’s race to help a rival over the finish line. The pair received a standing ovation as they crossed the finish line together at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, but that was nothing compared to what followed.
That singular act of rare sporting kindness hit headlines all over the world. The story appeared on TV, newspapers and was lauded online and on social media networks. A clip of the moment has, to date, had more than seven million views across World Athletics’ platforms.
Dabo was hailed for great sportsmanship and became the subject of media frenzy in Doha, something he did not quite understand.
"What happened in my life after that was like a nightmare,” says the 27-year-old with a big laugh. "When I saw the attention that people gave me in Doha, at first I was afraid. I did not understand why because I thought it was normal. It is only when I returned to Portugal that friends helped me understand why it was such a big deal.
"After that, I felt gratitude that people showed me love and cared about me and I felt blessed and I am very thankful to everyone.”
In November 2019, Dabo and Busby flew to Monaco where the Bissau-Guinean received the International Fair Play Award at the World Athletics Awards.
Busby after Doha
If Dabo has been living the dream since Doha, the man he helped has been living the complete opposite.
For Busby, the crippling pain he experienced that day on the track heralded a challenging period to come.
"In Doha it was a combination of dehydration plus injury,” says Busby. When he returned home, he continued to race with disappointing results.
"After Doha I participated in four races but I didn’t perform optimal. Normally I win races in the Caribbean but people started beating me, I got tired easily and the races were not like how it used to go. So I had to take a break.”
The 34-year-old long distance runner says he’s been trying to pinpoint the exact problem with little success.
"I’ve had x-rays on my hip and my back, but they saw nothing. I am still very stiff right now in my abductors.”
He received a lot of attention after Doha, but all of it wasn’t positive.
"At first I could see very positive messages from around the world. But then I saw some negative messages that affected me. I was struggling with them.”
To make things worse, Busby lost two jobs and his home, and then the coronavirus exploded in Aruba. He was later diagnosed with bipolar depression and spent more than three months in a clinic for treatment.
"I am just doing my best right now to keep positive. I am living at a friend’s house right now, just trying to get myself back together.”
Friendship for life
Busby and Dabo have become fast friends, even with the distance and language barrier between them. Busby speaks no Portuguese and Dabo no English, so how have they managed to stay in touch?
"I downloaded a translator on my phone and when he says something I put it in there, so the language has never been a barrier,” says Busby. "From the moment we had in Doha, Jonathan is like a brother,” says Dabo.
"The Covid situation added stress to Jonathan’s life but we have talked about it and slowly things are getting better and now I am not so worried. I hope the worst is over.
"I was really looking forward to visiting him in April when Aruba’s government sent me an invitation but with all of Covid -19 going on in the world, it was not possible to travel to Aruba. Jonathan is a very nice guy, very humble, so it’s a friendship for life.”
Athletics will be back in action in Doha soon this month when the Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium hosts the Wanda Doha Diamond League on September 25.
