When Two Friends Agreed To Share An Olympic Gold Medal In Tokyo

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(An enduring leadership lesson for kids)

By Kingsley Obom-Egbulem

When the men’s high jump final began last Sunday, August 1,2021 at the Tokyo Olympics ,no one could have predicted that history would be made that day- with two men redefining the meaning of friendship, compromise and concession.

The battle for gold in a competition like the Olympics, is a fierce one with personal and national pride at stake. That is why some athletes and team doctors cheat by taking performance enhancing drugs. But Mustaz Barshim, 29 from Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi, 30 from Italy proved that though sports could be brutal, savage, and fierce, it has the power to throw up moments that inspires, invigorates and gives hope for a better world while strengthening faith in humanity.

They were the last men standing in a nail-biting duel that had about 33 jumpers from 24 nations competing. Having successfully cleared the 2.37 metres mark, they exhausted their three attempts but couldn’t clear the 2.39 metres mark needed to break the tie.

The gold medal spot belongs exclusively to the outright winner of any competition. If there’s a tie in high jump, a jump-off is conducted, where the bar is reduced (slightly), each athlete is allowed one attempt and the winner decided based on who cleared or missed the mark.

“Can we have two golds?” Barshim asked the IOC official. The response was, “Why not?” And history was made!

You will appreciate the profound example of Barshim and Gianmarco if you live in my part of the world where there have been decades of fratricidal wars between brothers — the Ifes and the Modakekes, the Aguleris and Umuneris, the Tivs and Junkuns with hundreds (if not thousands) of human lives wasted over perishable, mundane acquisitions.

When brothers spill each other’s blood and fathers cheer on, taking sides while fanning the embers of war and mothers and sisters look away, what then would friends do?

In Tokyo, these two high-jumping champions demonstrated not just friendship, but leadership, care, and compassion. They showed that leaders are not greedy. They care and share.

Perhaps that is what we may not see on the surface whenever we analyse the birth of organisations like Guarantee Trust Bank-a financial institution born 35 years ago, out of the bond between two bosom friends — Tayo Aderinokun, a Christian and Fola Adeola, a Muslim. Today, our kids(who were not born when Tayo met Fola) work in GTBank. That is the power of friendship, the gains in relationship-building. Our kids need to know this. It is a leadership quality…we intend to showcase at the *Teens Leadership Summit*.

During the lockdown last year, a friend of mine demonstrated this rare show of kindness. For three months, he paid full salaries-no lay-offs,no cuts, all remittances (tax and pensions made).

“Kingsley, I believe God will see us through,” he said to me when I wondered why he had to pay full salaries when the company was not making money. “My family is feeling the pinch, that’s all I need to know that their family would be feeling the pinch too,” he said.

I’m aware that great leaders are those who have learned to let go, without feeling like losers. They get big by sharing their powers and glory. Hence, Mustaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi: two gold-wining Olympians, are damn great “leaders” every child must emulate now.

We’ll be sharing more on this with your teenager at the *Teens Leadership Summit*.

The summit holds from August 18-20, 2021.
Time :9am to 2pm daily.
Venue :1,Asenuga Street, Off Opebi Link Road, Opebi, Lagos.

Registration is, #5,000

If you want your teenager (or you wish to sponsor a teenager) to be part of this event, please email contactme@iamkingsley.com.ng or send an SMS to 08053788199

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