TOGO: KAYAKING - Togo's only olympic medalist Benjamin Boukpeti, ranked 56th in the world inspires youth to follow in his wake

Record ID: 329585

  • Title: TOGO: KAYAKING - Togo's only olympic medalist Benjamin Boukpeti, ranked 56th in the world inspires youth to follow in his wake
  • Date: 11th October 2011
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF YOUNG KAYAKERS ON THE LAKE
  • Embargoed: 26th October 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Togo, Togo
  • Country: Togo
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA6KAYQ3VBF319G8BXQFN159OTI
  • Story Text: On the still waters of the lagoon in Togo's Atlantic coast city Aneho, rowers and kayakers has become an increasingly frequent sight.
    Paddling underneath the traffic logged bridge that lies between the lake and the open sea, young hopefuls converge to practice slalom and racing techniques.
    Their enthusiasm is inspired by the country's one and only Olympic medalists, white water Kayaker Benjamin Boukpeti.
    Born in France to a French mother and Togolese father, Boukpeti, 27, has only visited Togo once before as a young boy. But he represents the small West African nation at sports events and shot to fame in Togo when he scooped bronze at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
    This month he returned to the country as part of a government sponsored training scheme to inspire other young Kayakers in Togo to follow in his wake.
    "It gives us motivation and encouragement to develop and to be more engaged in rowing and kayaking so we can bring in many more medals," said one enthusiastic student, Benita Akibode.
    Boukpeti, ranked 56th in the world, sought to compete for Togo when it became clear that he was too old to have a real shot of making the French team.
    Now he's seen as something of a hero in the country, and the National Federation of Kayaking in Togo have high hopes that his stardom will bring about more medals for the nation at the next Olympic games.
    "We are confident that with all, with all activities that Benjamin Boukpeti has done in Togo since he came back, we are confident that kayaking will begin to develop and we'll bring back more medals in addition to the one won by Boukpeti," said Yaouza Gado, from Togo's Kayak Federation.
    For Boukpeti, it's also a chance to give something back to the community where his father and other relatives are from.
    "Since I won the Olympic medal, the federation has really managed to develop a little more slalom activity. I have been motivating children to give a little more time to practice and above all I'm really happy to see them grow, to practice a bit with them while I'm in preparation for the next Olympics. It really is an enormous pleasure," he said.
    The government of Togo, which contributes towards Boukpeti's funding and training also have high hopes for the country's sporting future.
    "We help him financially, even if it's quite limited but the state has made a great effort to be able to contribute financially, and we follow his development so that the conditions are the best they can be for him to prepare for London 2012," said Togo's minister for sport Christophe Tchao.
    Better recognised for their prowess on the football field, Togolese sportsmen and women are not known for their high profile competition appearances and rarely make it through the first rounds at the Olympics.
    Following on from Boukpeti's success in 2008 however, the government pledged to plough more money into developing a range of sports both in the water and on land.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
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