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JAKARTA (AFP) – An impoverished sprinter who could not afford to buy his own running shoes won the hearts of his Indonesian compatriots after his surprise win in the 100-meter sprint at the World Junior Championships.
Lalu Muhammad Zohri, 18, on Wednesday, July 11, won the first medal of an Indonesian athlete at the World Under-20 Championships of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF ) in Finland.
Social media has received messages of support from politicians and celebrities and other athletes in a nation rarely associated with the glory of athletics.
But it is the humble beginnings of Zohri that attract the most attention.
The sprinter comes from a village in the island of Lombok, near Bali, where his family lives in a simple house of bamboo and wood.
Zohri, whose parents died, had to ask his sister 400,000 rupees ($ 38) to buy new trainers before the IAAF competition
give him all the money that I have d. I'm very proud of him, "local media told his sister Baiq Fazilla
CNN Indonesia broadcast images of Zohri's family in tears as he crossed the finish line in 10.18 seconds ahead an American duo.
"He still loved running barefoot around our village," says his sister.
"He never wore shoes because he did not have any", was
Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Friday (July 13) called on local authorities to renovate Zohri's humble house while he was inviting the new star to the Jakarta Presidential Palace. [19659002] Zohri is expected to participate next month in the Asian Games organized by Indonesia.
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