'Nararize cyane' – Umunyakenyakazi winjiye muri WNBA ku gahinda ko kwimwa viza ya Amerika inshuro nyinshi

Ku mugoroba wahinduye ubuzima bwe, Madina Okot yari yicaye acecetse.

Uyu mukobwa wo muri Kenya yari ategereje, yizeye kandi asenga ngo izina rye rihamagarwe mu muhango wo mu gutoranya abakinnyi bashya binjira muri shampiyona ya Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) wabereye i New York.

"Nari mfite ubwoba bwinshi cyane," ni ko yabwiye BBC Sport Africa, asubiza amaso inyuma ku byabaye ku itariki ya 13 Mata (4)

"Numvise bavuga izina ryanjye, byari nk'inzozi. Ese ndi hano? Ese koko mbirimo?"

Uyu mukobwa w'imyaka 21 ntiyategereje igihe kirekire, yatoranyijwe mu cyiciro cya mbere n'ikipe ya Atlanta Dream, aba uwa 13 muri rusange,

Madina ni Umunyakenya wa gatatu utoranyijwe muri WNBA, ariko ni we wa mbere watoranyijwe mu kiciro cya mbere kuko abo babiri batoranyijwe mu byiciro bya nyuma.

Igitangaje kurushaho ni uko uyu mukinnyi, ukina hagati (centre) ufite uburebure bwa metero1.98, yinjiye muri shampiyona ikomeye ku isi nyuma y'imyaka itandatu gusa akoze k'umupira wa basketball ku nshuro ye ya mbere.

Uburyo akina buhuza imbaraga, kwihangana no guhindagurika mu mikinire, bigatuma aba umukinnyi utsinda neza kandi akagira uruhare rukomeye mu gukumira ibitego byabo bahanganye.

Ariko kugera muri WNBA ntibyari byoroshye.

Kwimwa viza kenshi

Madina yatangiriye urugendo rwe kure cyane y'amaso y'itangazamakuru, ari uwa gatanu mu bana umunani mu muryango we mu mujyi wa Mumias, mu burengerazuba bwa Kenya.

Yabanje kuba indashyikirwa muri volleyball mu ishuri rya Bishop Sulumeti High School ryo mu karere ka Kakamega, mbere yo kwemezwa kwimukira mu 2020 ajya kwiga muri Kaya Tiwi Secondary, ishuri riri ku nkombe y'iburasirazuba hafi ya Mombasa, ryabyaye bamwe mu bakinnyi bakomeye ba basketball muri Kenya.

Ati nibuka ko:"Natinyaga cyane kugerageza basketball.

"Ariko ubwo natangiraga kuyikina, nahise nyikunda vuba cyane."

Impano ye yatumye agera mu makipe y'igihugu y'abato muri Kenya, kandi amakipe yo muri kaminuza zo muri Amerika atangira kumenya impano ye nyuma yo kugaragara mu marushanwa ya 3x3 Basketball mu mikino ya Commonwealth ya 2022 yabereye i Birmingham.

Ariko kujya muri Amerika byamusabye kwihangana cyane, kuko Madina yimwe viza inshuro enye ubwo yashakaga kujya muri Troy University muri Alabama, hanyuma no muri Eastern Michigan University.

Madina avuga ko: "Byari bigoye cyane. Hari igihe numvaga ngiye kubireka".

"Incuro ya kabiri, iya gatatu, n'iya kane nararize cyane.

"Ushinzwe umutekano ni we wajyaga anjyana kuri taxi [arimo kurira]. Numvaga bimbabaje cyane."

Nyuma yo kwibaza niba akwiye gukomeza inzira yari isobanuye nk'"ibabaje cyane, itesha umutwe cyane," Madina avuga ko amasengesho y'ababyeyi be ndetse n'ukwiyemeza kwe ari byo byamufashije gukomeza.

Ibyishimo byaje muri Kanama (8) 2024, umunsi wagombaga kuba uw'ibirori.

Amwenyura cyane ati: "Umunsi naboneyeho viza yanjye wari n'umunsi w'amavuko yanjye".

"Icyo cyari impano nziza kurusha izindi nigeze mbona ku isabukuru yanjye."

"Ndashimira cyane mama na papa n'abandi bose bakomeje kuntera imbaraga ngo nkomeze kugerageza."

Guhamagarwa muri WNBA

Iyi yari inshuro ya gatanu Okot agerageza amahirwe yo kwinjira muri WNBA, nyuma yo kwinjira muri Mississippi State mu 2024–25 mbere yo kwimukira muri Kaminuza ya South Carolina mu kwezi kwaMata (4) umwaka ushize.

Muri uyu mwaka, yari ayoboye shampiyona mu gufata imipira (rebounds), aho yagiraga impuzandengo ya 10.6 ku mukino, kandi yagize uruhare rukomeye mu rugendo rwa Gamecocks rugana ku mukino wa nyuma wa shampiyona y'igihugu mu ntangiriro z'uku kwezi. Aho batsinzwe na University of California, Los Angeles Bruins ku manota 79-51 imbere y'abafana hafi 16,000 i Phoenix.

Umwaka we wa mbere nk'umukinnyi wabigize umwuga uzatangira ku wa 8 Gicurasi(5), aho azaba akinana n'abakinnyi bakomeye barimo Angel Reese wigeze gutoranywa inshuro ebyiri muri WNBA All-Star, bose bari mu ikipe ya Atlanta Dream.

Yagize ati: "Namurebaga nkiri mu mashuri yisumbuye.

"Ndabizi ko azaba nk'umuvandimwe wanjye. Azanyigisha ibintu byinshi."

"Intego zanjye ni ugukomeza guteza imbere umukino wanjye no kwigira ku bakinnyi bafite uburambe."

Okot azanye igihagararo n'ubushobozi bwo kugarira, ariko yemera ko hari byinshi agomba kwiga ku rwego rwo hejuru rw'uyu mukino.

Nubwo azaba afite undi mukinnyi w'Umunyafurika bazafatanya, ari we Sika Koné wo muri Mali winjiye mu mwaka we wa kane muri WNBA, Madina asobanukiwe n'akamaro ko kuba icyitegererezo ku bakinnyi b'abakobwa bo ku mugabane wa Afurika.

Yagize ati: "Mu by'ukuri ni icyubahiro gikomeye cyane kuri njye kuba ndimo guhagararira abo bose bari mu rugo."

"Nifuza kubabwira ko twe (abagore b'Abanyafurika) dushobora kugera ku rwego urwo ari rwo rwose. Niba witanze kandi ukizera, birashoboka."

Urugendo rwo kwiyubaka

Madina avuga ko ari umuntu utuje ku miterere ye, akunda ibara rya 'pink' n'umweru, indirimbo za gospel ndetse na Ugali - umutsima w'ibigori uribwa cyane muri Afurika y'Iburasirazuba.

Nubwo amaze igihe muri Amerika, ibi bigaragaza ko akibona nk'umuntu mushya muri uyu mukino.

Yagize ati: "Nishimiye cyane guhura n'abakinnyi nakuze ndeba.

"Nishimiye gukorana na bo, kwiga byinshi no gukora amateka meza."

Kuzamuka kwe bibaye mu gihe siporo y'abagore igenda ikura, ariko kubona ibikoresho n'amahirwe bikaba bitangana cyane, cyane cyane muri Afurika.

Ni yo mpamvu Madina ashimangira akamaro k'imyitwarire ikomeye n'umurava.

Yagize ati: "Ntukeneye ibikoresho byuzuye kugira ngo utangire."

"Gumana intego, kandi ntucike intege mu gukurikira inzozi zawe."

"Nifuza kuba umukinnyi abakobwa bato bazareba bakavuga bati: 'nifuza kuba nka Madina.'"

"Burya hari umuntu uhora akureba. Ni na byo bituma abantu babona amahirwe."