A GRADE 7 pupil Sean Nyoni from Zvishavane’s Bilashaba Primary School showed a rare maturity for a boy his age as he bolted onto the road to help celebrated 82-year-old cyclist, Wilson Boka Dube after a nasty fall just five kilometers away from the finishing line during last weekend’s Nedbank Tour de Great Dyke.
Nyoni, only 15 years old and currently awaiting his Grade 7 results was the first person on the sport to help the former cycling champion onto his feet together with another cyclist before the diminutive Samaritan pulled off the cyclists’ bicycles on his own.
Dube had on the day of flagging off charmed many with his endurance and physique on Thursday as he lined up for the gruelling over 300km journey at 82. He completed both the 140km stretch from the Zimplats’ Selous processing division to Kwekwe and the Kwekwe to Shurugwi's Unkie Mine course the following day.
But just as he was about to finish the gruelling three-day journey, he was unfortunately hit from behind by other cyclists and came down crashing. The Cimas ambulance on the lookout for any medical cases did not take time to arrive on the scene, but young Nyoni had done the first reaction to pull Dube and his bike off the road.
“I was gathering thorns to barricade our homestead from the menacing domestic animals together with my younger brothers and then I watched in awe as a cyclist took a tumble off his bike,” Nyoni told Sports Hub.
“I quickly rushed onto the road without having to think twice because I realised there was a need, but at that point, I didn’t realise that it was the famous grandfather. He looked like a man in his late 20s, to be honest, very fit, and strong.”
Sean’s mother Josephine Phiri was dumbfounded by her son’s heroics.
“He shared with me what happened when he was out in the fields, Sean has struggled with his reading and he has had to repeat his Grade 7 several times, but I don’t doubt his potential as evidenced by his hard work,” Sean’s mother said.
- Zim platinum H2 output remains stable
- Zimplats splurges US$270m on capital projects
- Nedbank Tour de Great Dyke targets international status
- Feli Nandi for Zimind, Nedbank listed companies awards ceremony
Keep Reading
“After today’s incident he said he would like to try out cycling so we will go and look for a club for him to fulfil his wish, but at the moment getting him a bike will be the only challenge.”
On the other hand, Dube who missed the finishing line pomp and fanfare after he was rushed to a nearby hospital for X-rays and scans following a suspected dislocation paid little or no attention to his wounds at the time.
“I have been racing for 57 years now and I have never fallen off the bike, I don’t know what the guys were doing, they pushed each other’s back and when they broke loose, they came crashing into my wheel,” he said.
“I think I’m ok, let me rest for a few minutes and get back on the road.” Meanwhile, over 100 cyclists took part in the charity race led by experienced national team stalwart, Nkust Nkulumo, reigning Harare champion, Roderick Shumba, Harare Cycling Club captain, Felix Maocha, and teenagers Tashinga Moyo (18) and Juliet Chasi (13).
Nedbank Zimbabwe company secretary and human resources, Farai Sithole said they forked out US$20 000 to be title sponsors for this year’s event.
