What will you do to meet your table tennis idol in person on his maiden visit to your country to play the game?
Well, if you are 12-year-old Ibonga Shukuru, Rwanda's national cadet champion, you will go the extraordinary length, including a four-hour journey from your far-away home to Kigali, the capital city. You will do this even when you have no dime on you to pay your way, and skip school to boot - behind your mother too!
Shukuru's table tennis idol is Nigeria's Aruna Quadri. When he learned that Aruna would be in Kigali for the Africa Cup and the African Olympic Qualifiers, Shukuru saw it as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet a superstar of the game who inspired him to take to table tennis.
Such was Shukuru's determination to be in Kigali just to meet Aruna in person that the four-hour road journey from Ruvabu to Kigali, the logistics of getting there and staying in the capital, and the fact that his mother would object since he would miss classes in school all proved unable to stop him.
Shukuru lives with his mother in Rubavu District, which is one of the seven districts in the Western Province of the East African nation.
"When I got to know that Aruna was coming to Rwanda, I knew that if I told my mother she would not allow me to go, and if I decided not to go, I would not concentrate in school as I would be thinking about it," the Amahoro Anglican School pupil disclosed.
However, so overwhelmed with the thought of going to see Aruna in Kigali that a skint Shukuru went to the motor-park, his hopes hinged on a free bus ride to Kigali. Motherluck smiled at him as the bus driver indeed took pity and waived the fare for the young lad when they got to the capital city. Shukuru's luck also held at the Kigali motor park, as he also secured a free bike ride to the BK Arena venue of the tournaments.
"That was how I found myself in Kigali to see Aruna,” Shukuru narrated.
The youngster, who started playing table tennis at seven, has established himself as an integral member of the Ubumwe Table Tennis Club, the Rwanda national club champion. He has been unbeaten at cadet level in the country.
"Watching Aruna on YouTube made me like him as a player and as an individual. When I read his humble beginning story, I was also motivated to emulate him. He started small, and now he is a big player in the world. Humility is always written all over his face when he is playing, and he epitomises what I love to be in life. So I was determined to meet him, and fortunately for me, I met him in Kigali,” Shukuru said.
For his pains meeting his table tennis idol, Aruna, who was pleasantly surprised by the length Shukuru would go to meet him, gave his Africa Cup final match-winning bat to the Rwandan cadet champion.
"I was so excited when Aruna gave me the bat he used in the final. This is a big motivation for me to work harder and emulate an African champion like him. I am indeed happy that my efforts were not wasted, despite the fact that I will miss school this week,” Shukuru said.
Although he is very keen on education and is determined to finish school, Shukuru would love to make a living from playing table tennis and be a role model to young Rwandans.
The Secretary-General of the Rwanda Table Tennis Federation (RTTF), Alexis Mutebutsi, said the courage and determination of the youngster prompted the federation to accommodate Shukuru following his arrival in Kigali.
"We were touched when we heard his story that he had to travel four hours to come to Kigali to meet Aruna. So we decided to accommodate and feed him during his one-week stay in Kigali. We plan to assist him with transport when he is going back home,” Mutebutsi said.
He is the future of table tennis in Rwanda, and we want to support him with the hope that he will be exposed to top-class training. We were touched by his determination to travel from afar to see his idol,” he added.