Cathy Freeman comparisons unfair, but Oboya’s time will come
The comparisons that have already been made to Cathy Freeman will rightly be put on hold, but 17-year-old Bendere Oboya's brutal senior debut for Australia at the Commonwealth Games will serve as a crucial step in her burgeoning career.
It has become a fact of life that any Australian 400 metres runner who has shown promise at a young age will be unfairly compared to the talent of Freeman, the 2000 Olympic champion, and perhaps wear the tag of the 'next Cathy'.
The Ethiopia-born Oboya's name has been mentioned in this regard and expectation will mount if she builds on what has been a stunning junior career to date.
She did not give a glimpse of her enormous potential when she was run out of the first round of the women's 400m at Carrara on Monday morning, having clocked a pedestrian 55.62 seconds to finish sixth in her heat.
But the lessons she will take away from competing at the Commonwealth Games as a teenager will be of more benefit, as she strives to match the feats of her hero Freeman.
"I did try to come in here with a positive mind, so I'm happy that I came out here," a disappointed Oboya said after her heat.
"But obviously I couldn't perform to my best today."
The story behind Oboya's rise to becoming a Commonwealth Games representative at such a tender age is remarkable.
She was born in Gambela, Ethiopia, and moved to Australia as a three-year-old with her parents and five siblings.
Growing up in Sydney's western suburbs, track and field was barely on Oboya's radar until early 2016 when she hooked up with coach Greg Smith, a former American football player who enjoyed fleeting fame almost 20 years ago when he played a single match for the Newcastle Knights in the NRL.
Around the time Oboya met Smith her lack of experience in the 400m was reflected in her personal best of 1:15.00, however inside 12 months she had lowered that mark dramatically to 53.02.
Oboya's star begins to rise
Track and field observers began to sit up and take notice of her progress when she won the 400m at the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas with a time of 52.69, which saw her ranked third in the world among under-18 athletes.
Oboya, who stands at 165 centimetres tall and weighs just 44 kilograms, made a significant statement at February's Australian championships in Carrara when she posted a new PB of 51.94 in narrowly finishing second to Anneliese Rubie.
The performance moved her to third on the Australian all-time junior rankings, behind only Freeman and two-time world 400m hurdles champion Jana Pittman.
To be listed among such illustrious company, albeit at the junior level, is why hopes are so high for Oboya, who turns 18 next week.
The poise she has shown when competing against athletes much older than herself is reminiscent of Freeman and Pittman at a similar age.
She was not intimidated about competing on the Gold Coast in a field that contained a former world champion (Amantle Montsho), as she believes her age is simply a number.
"I don't really care about my age," Oboya said.
"I know I am young but I still count myself as a 400 runner so I just run out there. It doesn't matter about my age."
The learning curve will be similarly steep for Oboya as it was for Freeman, who appeared at her first Commonwealth Games at just 16 and made her Olympic debut aged 19.
When reflecting on her first taste of competing at a senior international meet Oboya knew this was the case, but as she has already shown she is not daunted by the challenge.
"It's upwards from here," Oboya said.
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ABC .net
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