TIRANA, August 23 – The European champion in athletics, Luiza Gega, was received with a ceremony on the boulevard “Dëshmorët e Kombit” where hundreds of citizens gathered as a sign of gratitude and respect for the athlete on Tuesday.
Dressed in red and black colors, Luiza Gega paraded in a ‘Cadillac’ type vehicle along the boulevard in the direction of the Prime Minister’s Office and the Minister of Education and Sports, Evis Kushi evaluated Luiza’s achievements for bringing the medal to Albania at the ceremony organized at the Prime Minister’s Office where Prime Minister Edi Rama also participated.
“The model that inspires is Luiza. Luiza is the truth, Luiza should inspire the young, the little ones, but also us adults, that work and sacrifice are rewarded,” said Kushi, who claimed that athletes are valued with more respect and dignity, of course within the possibilities and the conditions of a country such as Albania.
There has been great criticism towards the government because of lack of investments in sports and according to them, it has not contributed at all to the success of Gega. Some analysts said Rama was trying to ‘steal’ the glory of the athlete for personal propaganda like he has done on other occasions.
Minister Kushi exploited the occasion to boast that Albania has a new legal framework that is 100% aligned with the legal framework of the European Union and that there is an increased budget for sports.
Luiza Gega was crowned European champion in athletics after winning the gold medal in the 3000 meter steeplechase competition at the European Championships in Munich. The Albanian athlete crossed the finish line first with a time of 9.11.31 seconds, breaking the record of 9:17.57 previously held by Russia’s Yuliya Zaripova back in 2010. Gega controlled most of the race, leading for the whole 2900 meters, and she finished with a nearly 4-second edge over the German Lea Meyer.
A few weeks ago, the 33-year-old was ranked fifth in the world in the same event, but she won the gold medal in the Mediterranean Games.
In his remarks before handing over the Great Cordon with a Star for Public Recognition to the athlete, the prime minister said that it was a coincidence that he was introduced to the new EU ambassador in Albania, whom he had asked to stay after the meeting to celebrate a European champion who beat a German. “It doesn’t happen often that we leave Germany behind. Some time ago someone said ‘we are second after Germany’, but today here, in this hall, Germany is second after Albania,” said Rama.
/Argumentum.al
