New kid to be blocked

The world athletics under 20 championships breeds the future of track and field. Last week it did not disappoint. It found the next Usain Bolt in the person of Letsile Tebogo from Botswana. Probably even faster. The 19-year old retained his century dash title in a new junior world record of 9.91s, a time not ran by the legendary Bolt when he was about the same age.

But definitely cockier. Although Bolt had his track theatrics and antics that neither ticked nor tickled, Tebogo taunted his closest Jamaican rival by looking back at him smiling towards the finish line. While sprinters look askance to check their position against the others, Letsile glimpsed backward, a big no-no in sprints settled by the slimmest of margins. Although the early celebration did not cost him the gold, he lost a faster time. But who cares, it was world record just the same. He knows he could have run faster, but claims it was not yet part of the plan. What was the plan then, run slow? It’s the world finals, not a qualifying round or the heats for the sluggish.

Whatever. He knows it cost him the respect of the track and field community. But others are quick to defend him. He is just a kid. Well, minority may exempt from criminal liability. A child is incapable of discernment. Some adults could not even tell right from wrong, or worse, refuse to right their wrong, how much less a child?

With technology that rapidly advances every single day, all pieces of information to develop maturity are at their fingertips. But you wonder whether easy access informs or deforms, molds or folds, educates or suffocates. Regardless, they are children who should not be punished for criminality. They do not know what they do. Even at the behest of adults. Punish the old, not the bold.

But Letsile did not run afoul of any criminal law, he instead broke a virtue, of humility, decency and magnanimity. Otherwise known as good manners. Or sportsmanship. Are kids not supposed to learn unwritten code of manners first before they are taught a body of skills? Japanese school children are first taught respect, elsewhere in the world they are pressured to score perfect. Look at where and how the people of Japan are now.

And look at where Tebogo is. After winning the century dash, he thought he won a sprint double, but lost the 200m by the invisible margin of six-thousandths of a second, not nothing but a second-rate trying hard copy cat. With due respect to the departed great villainess who left the first-rate slaying easy original feline. It must have been mission impossible to lose that close. Regardless, he lost. But in defeat something is won, should he learn and earn humility.

Stop invoking minority. It never justifies temerity. We can forgive him for a false start, but not for a fool’s finish. Just as new lawyers may be forgiven for procedural mishaps, but not for ethical lapse. Just as elected youth representatives may be forgiven for lack of dexterity, but not for stealing money. More so with adults who should be reminded lying, stealing and cheating are punishable, save in the Philippines. Or better yet, save the Philippines.