The Last Competitive Matches of my Wrestling Career

As part of cultural promotion and inspiration of the young aspiring wrestlers and education lovers, I would like to share my memories of the year 2003 and how I ended my career on demand by family as their desired to re-channeled me back to the path of education surpassed all my preferences. Life in the rural areas is considered primitive but I always say the opposite. I may not be an expert in rural or towns matters but I can confidently say that I am a living witness to what transpires in towns and in rural setups, I can say with simplicity that I know both sides of the coin. I am a typical villager and also a very good town boy. I can tell stories without exaggeration and more importantly, factually. While all these happened, they were not secrets. Public know them and readers here are only being told factual stories. There is no fiction here and if one arises, I will let you know. I was a wrestler that was a pride of the society. The society had confidence in me and in return I had never disappointed them. My fans, clan and the entire Yirol were never for once deprived of the opportunity to celebrate, my source of resilience and persistence are the people I represented. I become even more powerful when asked to stand in for others. If there were to be inter-communal wrestling competitions like the current heavy wrestling matches in Juba today, I would have always been the choice of the team coaches. Not to bore you with the explanation on my firmness, I would like to walk you through the Competitive Matches of the terminal section of my wrestling career but this piece will narrate only one hot competition that was conducted in Yirol town in January 2003. The competition was informed by the emergence of Pandit Amuom aka Akaal and his team of versatile youth and the desire of Maluach Akolkuoi to challenge him. I was too interested in the same. When the time for the competition ripened, different coaches organized their teams. Few of my youth and I who came from Ciec land were teamed up with Luarioi, a section of Luac and the lead wrestlers on our side were late strongman Maluach Akolkuoi Anhiem aka Anuaak, Sunday de John aka Mageer/Kunyanyar, Atheetdit, popularly known as Akeecraan, Kuaideel and our youth of known pliability, among whom were a tank-like tough youngster, Makur Telar aka Agok Angeei, Mayom Makuach and the ruthless Kacueu Aloony among several others. Our opponents were led by Pandit Amuom aka Akaal, Abethou Majok, Maguong Malith and Makeen and their youth including dangerous Tut-Liel, Chiengthaar Johou and Mangar Marial aka Kediel. The said section of our opponents wasn’t only Akot, they were a myriad of sections just like on our side. Jielek, other sections of Luac, particularly the Rialkuei lineage and that is why you can see a mention of youth from Pan-Angony, basically Chieng-Ring, Pirpiu, Kuol and Yol among several others. This competition was a result of curiosity on my side as news of emergence of a new energy puzzled me. We were informed at Cirkou that Yirol town was captured by a new team of wrestlers from Akot Section. This news was leaked in one of the highly charged conversations that usually happens during the afternoon hours of the day. We were seated under a tree at the Kraal of Makuei Wel Alier at Akot Cattle camp listening to one Aparaat Anuong telling us his funny stories. This was when we returned from Riit Ayur cattle camp with Loi Makuak Barec where we went for a wrestling competition and when we both had wrestled off one Anai and Ketem Dhieu respectively. This news was carried to us by a man who came from the village upon questioning by our senior brothers on what was transpiring on the other side of Yirol. Although his narration of matters that transpired was lengthy, the news of the emergence of a totally unknown but robust team was interesting and catchy. He went on to explain that all matters were well but that a group of wrestlers from Akot, a section of Atuot who are the natives of Lual-Karbeu, mainly Geng-geng and its environ has conquered the vicinity of Yirol town and that by the time he left Yirol, nobody had dared to confront them at the important dancing and wrestling Field named after the owner, popular Akutei Muokjok. That the said new men were under the strong wings of Akaal and Abethou. He went on further to explicate that trial by some youth from Ajak subsection of Ciec namely Bol Beny Til once a man to reckon with in the wrestling field, Adegong Wel and Thiep Dhiacic aka Malieklai among others were rendered futile by the said men and that one powerful gentleman from Achook subsection of Apaak clan called Kot Maker was the toughest challenger that had faced Akaal but he defeated him on the spot. This profound justifications sent chills down my spine, I knew Kot as a wrestler of the highest class who had never fallen in any wrestling confrontation for years. His expressions were firm and if true, then something amidst that needed be considered as a matter of urgency was budding. His explanation and believe in the strength of the said men was complete and denigrating to me because he even trampled on me by expressing without shame and to the extent of reaching a conclusion that the men he was describing were of unbeatable characteristics and that even the highly acclaimed Sunday, Matueny or Bol Adut cannot be impactful in front of them. His statement that was directed at me and others of known prowess in the wrestling arena all over Yirol and Bor was considered derogatory as it was laughed off by most of the on-Wrestlers around who knew what we were capable of doing and particularly Matueny and Bol who had engraved