‘It means everything’: What it’s like being your country’s only competitor at the Olympics

PARIS: It was a tale of contrasting emotions for two sprinters at the Paris Olympics on Saturday (Aug 3).
While Nauru’s Winzar Kakiouea had disappointment written all over his face, Belize’s Shaun Gill was in a lighter mood.
Both had failed to progress past the preliminary round of the men’s 100m at the Stade de France, both were their countries’ flag bearers, both finished sixth in their heats and both had their Olympics end in about 11 seconds.
But that’s not where similarities ended.
Both men are the only athletes from their respective nations at the Games.
Four athletes in Paris are their nations’ only representatives. These athletes hail from Belize, Liechtenstein, Nauru and Somalia.
“It means everything,” said Kakiouea, when asked about how it feels to be his country’s lone representative.
“It’s been amazing … but I’m not happy with my performance.”
“It’s a little bit of pressure. You feel like you have the entire country on your back,” said Gill, who told CNA he would be retiring after these Games.
“But I have been running track and field for some years now. I have some experience. I’m able to calm myself and I’m in control of my emotions. So I was okay, I was fine, I’m good.”
31-year-old Gill and 23-year-old Kakiouea were the beneficiaries of universality places, where athletes from underrepresented nations receive spots to compete at the Games.
A tiny island country in the Pacific, northeast of Australia, Nauru has a population of about 10,000. 
And without a proper track to train at prior to the Olympics, Kakiouea booked a flight to Australia where he spent a month.
“Our country is a small island. You can finish (travelling around) Nauru in 25 minutes,” he told reporters.
“It’s tough (for somebody from Nauru to make the Olympics) because in Nauru, we don’t have a track.”
Gill’s story is slightly different. 
He studied and trained in the United States at Texas A&M University-Kingsville and is an experienced competitor. This is his second Games, having made his debut at Tokyo 2020.
“Back home in terms of resources for sports, it’s not as great or where it should be. But it’s slowly getting there,” he explained. 
“That’s the reason I had to do most of my training in America, in Texas. Back home, it’s not as good facilities, financing, coaching. I had to leave to get better coaching, a better experience in a better environment.”
But Gill, who is at the Games with his coach and the country’s chef de mission, knows he is not alone. 
“It feels really good (to represent the country), this is the most support I’ve ever gotten. I’m speaking not just at home but across the globe,” he said.
“Right now, everybody in Belize is up. Everybody is in front of the TV, the support is amazing.”
Gill was upbeat about his final showing for the Central American nation.
“The performance wasn’t good, but it’s a good way to go out.”