The Greatest of All Time

Chapter 8 - First Day Of The Trials

*FWEEEEEEE!*

In the blazing midday heat, Zachary and the other participants in the fourth group set-off as soon as Coach Mande blew the whistle. The last race in the Lubumbashi trials had started.

Zachary did not bother to spy on his other opponents but just took off at half of his top speed. It was a race of 32 laps totaling approximately 8 miles. He needed to save his energy by slowing his pace at the beginning.

However, the noteworthy players like Miché Mika and Nike Kabanga were in a class of their own. The two were unparalleled when they found clear space during the second lap. They shot forward at their fastest pace and soon led the entire pack of the 30 players. Stubbornly sticking to them was Stephen Mangala, the springy boy prodigy from Kinshasha.

To Zachary's surprise, a short boy he hadn't encountered in his previous life was also part of the leading group.

The group of four started to break away from the others, a feat that caused Zachary to worry. So, he accelerated.

He increased his pace until he was only a few meters behind them during the sixth lap. However, the four stubbornly stuck to their lead despite all his efforts.

For the next twenty laps, their group accelerated ahead of the rest, taking an average of 70 seconds per lap. Their time was only about 10 seconds behind the top runners in the world. They came close to doubling the rest.

Miché Mika led wearing an Olympique Lyonnais jersey. Nike Kabanga and Stephen Mangala shadowed every stride, both wearing arsenal t-shirts. The unknown boy also stuck to the group. However, he had begun losing his stamina and Zachary easily overtook him.

He maintained his acceleration and went past Kabanga and Mangala as well. By the 28th lap, only Miché Mika was still ahead of him.

With only 3 laps to go, Zachary Bemba started closing the gap. Miché Mika dug, pushed harder, and did everything to shake his competitor. But, he was also overtaken by Zachary towards the end of the 29th lap.

Zachary was giddy with excitement but maintained his swift pace. He continued dashing along the brown clay tracks of the stadium. He had no intention of losing his lead.

The spikes underneath his boots gripped the earth in a rhythm. His strides became lyrics to an original track he had gotten a chance to play for the audience of the coaches watching from the sidelines. Droplets of sweat had long started to run down his skin.

Zachary had been jogging an average of five miles each day for the two weeks preceding his journey to Lubumbashi. His fitness could hold up against the remaining few laps around the pitch.

However, at the start of the penultimate lap, Zachary saw a shadow flash by, leaving him in the dust. The boy prodigy, Stephen Mangala, had overtaken him with only 800 meters to go.

'Shit!'

He also accelerated but failed to catch up with him.

'Am I going to lose?'

He labored to increase his pace. The pain in his limbs was an ocean of unknowable depths and lurking beasts. But, he ignored it and continued chasing Mangala's shadow.

A feeling of dejection washed over him. He felt his legs become heavy like they were weighed down by lead.

'I have to win this no matter what.'

He tapped into energy reserves he never thought he had and accelerated instantly.

**** ****

Coach Damata stood on the sidelines watching the race. He had taken a keen interest in the fourth group that included two interesting boys who had formerly been noticed by the TP Mazembe scouts. They had all participated in regional under-14 tournaments. Stephen Mangala had been the best player in the secondary school competition held in Kinshasha at the start of the year. The other boy, Zachary Bemba, had been the captain of a primary school in Lubumbashi. He had won the 2008 best player award in the Lubumbashi under-14 regionals.