Young sports stars travel to Ethiopia to train with mentor
15 December 2010
G4S boxing sensations Charly Suarez (Phillipines) and Chatchai Butdee (Thailand) received the opportunity of a lifetime when they were invited to visit G4S 4teen ambassador and mentor, Haile Gebrselassie in his hometown of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The 21 year old bantamweight boxer from Davao City, Phillipines, and 25 year old featherweight fighter from Sakaew, Thailand, joined Haile on a training run on Mount Entoto outside of the city, where the double Olympic Champion and current marathon world record holder trains every day at 3,000 metres above sea level.
The two boxers also had the opportunity to go to the local church where Haile has donated his two Olympic gold medals. In only his second time seeing them since they were donated, Haile made sure both Charly and Chatchai understood the dedication needed to win one of their own.
“Feel the weight of this,” Haile said to the two young athletes. “This is what happens with a lot of hard work and training.”
In addition to introducing Charly and Chatchai to his gruelling training regime on Mount Entoto, Haile also delighted in showing the boxers the sights and sounds of his native Addis Ababa, which included taking them to Meskel Square where the city’s runners train at dawn, inviting them to his home for a traditional Ethiopian meal and pointing out his many successful business ventures around the city, which provide jobs for 600 Ethiopians.
“When you are an athlete just starting out, you compete for yourself. You can’t work for anyone else,” he told them. “When you become successful it is very important that you work for others.”
As the two boxers work toward their common goal of competing at the next Olympics, no doubt this experience will provide them with added inspiration to achieve their dreams.