The Mysterious Disappearance of Mamie Konneh Lahun, the Liberian Olympian
The Mysterious Disappearance of Mamie Konneh Lahun, the L...
By Arslan Saleem July 29, 2024 06:33
The star of the Liberian athletics scene, Mamie Konneh Lahun, was a ferociously talented and determined athlete. Lahun was born in 1990 in Monrovia, and grew up during a post-civil war era that devastated his country. But no matter the obstacles, Lahun's running enthusiasm and natural athleticism eventually showed themselves.
In the 2010s, Lahun's running career went full throttle, and she soon found herself racing in local and regional competitions. She first hit the big time in 2012 when she won both the Sierra Leonean and Liberian national marathons, a remarkable achievement given that professional training is all but non-existent for athletes living in that part of Africa. The Australian-based ex-pat Jo Dunlop heard about her win, and acting as Lahun's manager, she managed to secure the Sierra Leonean a spot in London for 2014.
The London Marathon and Vanishment
Lahun ventured to London and contested the world-famous marathon in April 2014. Even though she had no structured marathon coaching or much training, she completed the race in an amazing 2:46:20 and set a new national record for Liberia. This incredible display rained praise from the international running circles, with many tipping Lahun to be a future face of the sport.
Yet any elation at her feat evaporated when Lahun was reported missing once the finish line, thinking beyond a return to something simpler, was reluctantly crossed. Lahun was last seen at Admiralty Arch, where the Sierra Leone team was due to meet after they had finished. But when Lahun failed to appear, her manager, Jo Dunlop, started reporting her missing.
The Search & Questions Without Answers
Early reports said Lahun had returned to a home in Greenwich borough. Still, the information was later changed as incorrect. It was soon apparent that Lahun had bolted again, though no one knew where she went and only knew her real intentions.
Dunlop, who manages Lahun, was stunned to learn that the runner had gone missing. A "natural athlete," according to him, the woman she knew as Liberia's top female marathon runner in a country that stands among the world's poorest. Ms Lahun had "very little money" and no clothing when she went missing, but Dunlop said she took her passport. This was an early sign that Lahun had anticipated going missing in a way, but her motives were still anyone's guess.
Career implications for Lahun
The loss of Mamie Konneh Lahun was a hard pill to swallow, not just for the distance runner herself but also for Liberia at large as her star continued to rise. Lahun was also on the brink of becoming a national hero and an inspiration to all young sportsmen in Sierra Leone. At that time, he became recognized as the fastest 5,000m and 10,000m runner while cruising through for wins during both Sierra Leonean road race marathons.
The development highlighted a shortage of professional coaching and government backing for athletes in Liberia and Sierra Leone, factors cited as catalysts to Lahun's vanishing act. It accused the government of not caring about athletics or its athletes, a claim echoed by Kargbo, who ran alongside Lahun in the London Marathon. It was difficult, he said: without proper facilities and funding, many talented runners like Lahun had been lost to the sport for good before they even had a chance.
Lahun remains missing, and it's only hoped by those searching that one of these days, she will reemerge to be what she always was: a beacon for every Liberian dreaming big in athletics. For now, hers is a story of hope and strength that the human spirit holds stronger in even the darkest times.
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