Bad Luck

Girmay Biniam winning stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia

You probably all know how fond I am of the cycling races, especially the big three: Giro d’Italia, around Italy, the Tour de France around France, and La Vuelta, around Spain. Presently the Giro d’Italia is going on, and last Tuesday, there was a historic result as the first ever African cyclist won Stage 10, a sprint that he sparkled through by beating the best of the best sprinters. The majority of the winners of various stages came from all the continents so far, mostly from Europe, North and South America, Australia, Asia, and never from the African continent. Recently there were a few African racers taking part, including a few from Eritrea who seem to have a special fondness for competitive cycling. So it was a big surprise and reason for exuberant joy that the Eritrean cyclist Girmay Biniam won stage 10 of the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday May 17. But with a split-second of sheer bad luck he will take no further part in the race after he was injured during the podium celebrations. His celebrations were cut short when he accidentally popped a champaign cork in his left eye. The 22-year-old cracked his eye with the cork as he failed to direct it away from his face as he unscrewed it. 

Girmay just after the cork stuck his eye, and the bubbly shooting up in the air.

Girmay immediately grimaced in pain and grabbed his face, but he made sure to pick up the bottle and spray out the contents on the cheering crowd, as is customary. But soon afterwards he was swiftly taken to the hospital after celebrating his historic victory. The prosecco cork has marred his triumph as Girmay was bent over opening the bottle at his feet when the cork flew up and hit him in the left eye. Although he carried on with the traditional spraying of the bubbly tipple, he was clearly pained by the blow. The worst part of the whole story is that he will have to drop out of the Giro d’Italia. He had already placed second and 4th and 5th twice in a field of over 170 cyclists. Truly a situation of bad, bad luck for Girmay. But I am sure he will be ready now for the Tour de France, which starts on July 1st.