The "Pirate" of Athletics Who Celebrates Like Gyokeres

Cameroonian sprinter Emmanuel Eseme, representing Sporting CP, has adopted the iconic celebration of former Sporting striker Viktor Gyokeres, now with Arsenal. Eseme hopes his athletic achievements will inspire a new generation of athletes in his home country.

The 32-year-old Emmanuel Eseme boasts an unconventional journey in elite athletics. A former amateur footballer who played as a goalkeeper, he only transitioned to track and field at the age of 24. For a significant period, he balanced his sport with his profession as an environmental engineer. Now residing in Portugal and competing for Sporting CP, the club has influenced his adoption of a distinctive celebration.

Witnessing Viktor Gyokeres play in the same green and white kit, Eseme decided to emulate the Swedish striker's famous mask celebration, where he interlaces his fingers over his mouth. "I liked the way he played. He was strong, very determined," the sprinter revealed to BBC Sport Africa. Unaware of its original meaning, Eseme has imbued it with a new significance: "It looks like a pirate's mask. And when pirates arrive somewhere, they change the course of events. I believe that's what I'm doing in athletics. I go there as that pirate, the game-changer."

The bond between the two athletes strengthened when Eseme received a video message from Gyokeres congratulating him on his qualification for the Paris Olympic Games, a gesture that deeply motivated him. "It motivated me to keep pushing even harder. To be able to represent the mask," he added.

Eseme hopes his success will serve as a catalyst for athletics in Cameroon. The athlete laments that the legacy of Françoise Mbango, the only Cameroonian medalist at World Championships (silver in triple jump in 2001 and 2003) and Olympic champion in 2004 and 2008, is being overlooked.

"The problem is that many years have passed since she [Mbango] achieved those results, and young people no longer truly know what she accomplished. Society has forgotten athletics as a sport that can bring a lot to the country," Eseme stated in an interview with the BBC.

Despite his aversion to fame, Eseme embraces his role as a role model. "If I had started earlier, perhaps Cameroon would be talking about an Olympic champion, a world champion," he muses. "That's what I'm trying to inspire in the younger generation: start now. If we don't dream big, we'll never get anywhere."