Featured image – Janelle Madeah, Go Team Liberia
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games has been a successful one for Liberia. Despite walking away with no medals, the country was able to set several new national records, advance beyond round one in two events, and place top five in the men’s 200 meters race. Every member of the team showed up and performed to the best of their ability.
Ebony Morrison, took the Olympic stage first. She completed round one of the women’s 100 meters hurdles in 13.00 seconds. That time moved her into the semifinals where she set a new personal and national record, running 12.74 seconds. Next, Emmanuel Matadi competed in the men’s 100 meters race. Matadi completed the race in 10.25 seconds with a hip injury. Though he did not advance, it was an impressive showing. Lastly, Joseph Fahnbulleh sailed through the men’s 200 meters first round and made it all the way to the finals where he finished fifth in19.98 seconds.
Before Liberia even started racing, it had already made news. World renowned Liberian designer Telfar Clemens sponsored the team’s uniforms and outfits, which were all a big hit. In fact, the Opening Ceremony outfits received so much praise that the International Olympic Committee requested a garment for the Olympic museum. In addition to appealing outfits, the 2020 Liberia Olympic team has an entire anthem.
A group of elite Liberian producers and artists created the “LIB Lion” sports anthem for the team. The song features Grammy–winning producer Lasanna ‘Ace’ Harris, producer DJ Tag, Grammy–nominated songwriter Cyrus DeShield, along with artists MC Caro, Nuchie Meek, 2C, and Faithvonic. Fans have paired ‘LIB Lion’ with images of the team and shared the clips all over social media.
Read below to see how Liberians around the world showed their support.
