John Stephen Akhwari has an amazing story and it's something we can certainly learn from in life. So, who is this man and what is his story? John Stephen Akhwari is a marathon runner from the African country of Tanzania. He competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics. He was born in 1938 and is very well known in the continent of Africa for his running skills. He finished first in the African Marathon Championships before he went to the 1968 Summer Olympics which was in Mexico City. What happened to him and how he reacted is what this blog is about.
John Stephen Akhwari represented his country of Tanzania during the 1968 Summer Olympics. I'm sure he was very excited to participate and represent his country. He trained in Tanzania for several years and I'm sure he hoped he would get a medal in the marathon. During the race in Mexico City, tragedy struck. Akhwari fell! He badly hurt his shoulder and dislocated his knee. Medics came and bandaged his knee thinking they would take Akhwari to the hospital. WRONG! Akhwari insisted that he continue running the race! Why would he want to do that? He had no chance to get a medal and it would take an eternity for him to finish the race. Akhwari never gave up. He ran, he walked, he stumbled all on a dislocated knee and with an injured shoulder. The marathon came to an end and the winner Mamo Wolde finished with a time of 3:25:27. Akhwari finished a little more than an hour after the winner. He came in last place as 57 other competitors finished ahead of him.
Getting back to the race, as the sun was setting and there were maybe a thousand people still in the Olympic stadium, Akhwari stumbled into the stadium trying desperately to have enough strength to cross the finish line. At the same exact time, medals were being distributed to the Olympic marathon winners, Gold, silver and bronze, at a different location. When word reached those at the medal ceremony that Akhwari entered the Olympic stadium, the television network who was producing the Summer Olympics immediately sent reporters and a camera crew to the Olympic Stadium to interview Akhwari. A reporter asked him, "Why didn't you give up when you knew you had no chance of winning the race?"Akhwari, in obvious pain responded, "My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race. They sent me 5,000 miles to finish the race." He also said, "I never thought about stopping."
Friends, this is an amazing story I recently read about all about never quitting. I'm sure there have times in your life where you have quit either a job, volunteering somewhere or maybe with a relationship? Nobody ever remembers the names of people who quit. In my several jobs, I can't remember the names of people I have worked with who quit after one day. They are usually forgotten. You never see the names of people who quit in the middle of running the New York City marathon. I'm sure there are thousands of names throughout the years. We should never give up and quit. There is that old saying "Quitters never win, and winners never quit!" I often think about Jesus. He never quit on us. Imagine if he quit and said, "I can't die on the cross. This is too much for me." Life would be different for us. I'm so glad Jesus never quit and I'm glad to this day he never quits on us. He is there for us 24/7. He never quit. What a great example to us. We should never quit.
To conclude, Akhwari never ever had a thought of quitting that marathon. It was not even a thought. Because of his actions, he was recognized in his country as a hero. In spite of a difficult situation, Akhwari never quit. With a dislocated knee and a injured shoulder, he pressed on and eventually finished his race...even if he came in last place! I still can't believe he ran on a dislocated knee!The Bible tells us in Philippians 3:14, "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." The word "Quit" should never be a part of our vocabulary. Let's follow the example of John Stephen Akhwari, even though this incident occurred almost 58 years ago. Don't quit! Press on! Our prize is waiting for us in heaven! Keep pressing on, friends!
Here's a video of John Stephen Akhwari!!
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