Photo/Illutration Abraham Guem, a member of South Sudan’s national team, competes in the preliminary round of the men’s 1,500 meters at the National Stadium on Aug. 3. (Ryo Ikeda)

Abraham Guem was eliminated in the preliminary round of the men’s 1,500 meters in the Tokyo Games on Aug. 3, but his spirit was not defeated.

The South Sudanese appeared content with finishing 13th out of 16 runners, at 3 minutes, 40.86 seconds, which is two seconds faster than his personal best and a record for his country.

“I could enjoy the race,” Guem, 22, said after the competition at the National Stadium. “I could bring out the best of my training.”

The contest was the culmination of his one year and eight months stay in Maebashi, the capital of Gunma Prefecture, about 100 kilometers northwest of Tokyo, where he trained with his compatriots.

Guem, three other track and field athletes and their coach arrived in Japan from South Sudan in November 2019.

His home country, plagued by clashes and  confusion after it became independent in 2011 following a long civil war, could not afford to provide a decent environment for aspiring athletes to prepare for the Summer Games.

So, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, a government-affiliated aid organization, helped the South Sudanese delegation train in Japan.

When the decision was made in March 2020 to delay the Olympic and Paralympic Games by one year, the team chose to remain in Maebashi to continue training. About 33 million yen ($303,000) was fund-raised in Japan to finance their stay.

Guem calls Maebashi, “My second home.”

He has formed bonds with many people there, including Yasuhiro Ito, who trained him. Ito has plenty of experience as a manager of a corporate team in Japan.

The friendship bracelet on Guem’s left hand, which he wore during the race, was woven by a person he became friends with while staying in Maebashi.

Guem said he knew little about Japan before his visit.

“I had no idea what kind of people Japanese were before I came,” he said.

But he certainly knows much better now. He attended a Japanese language school and learned about computers after he came to Maebashi.

Before he left for Tokyo to compete in the race, many people sent him messages wishing him luck.

He said his favorite Japanese expression is “arigato,” which means thank you.

He likes it because it partially sounds like his nickname when he was a young boy.

Asked for a message, he said in Japanese, “People in Gunma and everybody: Thank you.”

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