Marcella Sakobi, forever the trailblazer

2017 marked the start of a new era for Congolese boxing on the continental stage. The DR Congo national anthem rang out for the first time at the African Nations Championships, thanks to the graceful Marcella Sakobi. In Brazzaville she became the first Congolese woman boxer to win an African gold medal, and just two years after taking up the sweet science. A monumental achievement. "It was my first time competing at continental level. I really didn't know all the techniques very well, either. Out there I had faced very experienced opponents, notably a Senegalese and an Algerian. But I was determined to go all the way and win the final against a Nigerian," the boxer recalls.

Marcella Sakobi, spotted by Kisolokele, a champion-maker

Marcella Sakobi was discovered by the coach of Junior Makabu, Charles Kisolokele. He introduced her to boxing and then guided her all the way to the national team. And on her first outing at continental level, Charles Kisolokele, a member of the DR Congo technical staff, was a huge help to her, making up for her inexperience. "In the final bout, I even nearly gave up. I told my coach Charles Kisolokele that I couldn't go on. He slapped me to motivate me and I won the final. Coach Kisolokele was a very big help to me. He knew all my whims, my strengths and my weaknesses because he was already my coach at my club. It's thanks to him that I was able to produce this performance", she said.

The weight deficit

Besides her inexperience, Marcella Sakobi had another handicap compared with her opponents: her weight, which was lower. It was on the borderline of what was acceptable for the lightweight category. "In 2017 I weighed barely 57 kg. It was often less than that, so right on the limit of what was acceptable for the category I was entered in (-60 kg). This weight deficit made things even harder for me because I couldn't train normally, for fear of losing more weight and being disqualified. I didn't run much and every time I went to the weigh-in I drank a lot of water. My opponents, on the other hand, were at their correct weights and I was often scared of the fights. It was really difficult," she said.

A difficult preparation

The title Marcella Sakobi won came after many sacrifices, as it was not matched by the quality of the preparation in Kinshasa, which left a lot to be desired. "At the time, the Federation's organisation wasn't very good. It was difficult to prepare properly. There was no training camp; everyone stayed at home. They only brought us together on the eve of the trip to Brazzaville. This title was the result of a lot of sacrifices and also of a bit of luck. I think it was simply my year," she confided.

A lack of recognition from her country

Despite her gold medal won in Brazzaville, Marcella Sakobi sadly did not receive honours befitting her achievement. "When we came back to Kinshasa, we were received by the sports minister at the time, Papy Nyango. A week later, the prime minister received us and gave us only 300 dollars (295 euros). We didn't even get expenses despite all the effort put in and the medals won, notably my gold medal, the first in the history of the DR Congo. It was disappointing, anyway," the boxer laments.

Today, Marcella Sakobi no longer competes in the lightweight category. She is now a featherweight, where she is African runner-up after losing the final at the latest African Championships in Maputo, where two other boxers, Pita Kabeji (-80 kg) and David Tshama (-75 kg), won two more gold medals for the DR Congo. Marcella Sakobi will forever be the trailblazer.

Jonathan MASIALA