Daba Modibo Keita
Encyclopedia
Daba Modibo Keïta (born 5 April 1981) is an Mali
an Taekwondo
athlete. Keïta has competed in international competitions since 1996, and in 2007 became the Heavyweight (+84 kg) division 2007 World Taekwondo Champion
in Beijing
, and in 2008 competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the +80 kg class.
(Côte d'Ivoire
) to Malian parents, and was named for the first President of Mali, Modibo Keita
. He was forced to flee the country with his family in 2000 during the wave of xenophobia
which preceded the Ivorian Civil War. Settling in Mali, Keïta had little funding for training, but received an IOC Olympic Solidarity Scholarship to pay for his training with Ivory Coast fighter Patrice Remarck in the United States . With coach Jorge F. Ramos
, finances forced Keïta to stay with friends in Beijing during the 2007 world championship and train in a hotel courtyard. Keïta is managed by his older brother, Badra, and has lived and trained in France
and the United States
. Two of his brothers and two of his five sisters practice taekwondo, with his sisters both blue belts.
in Beijing
by beating Iranian Morteza Rostami 3 to -1 in the final. He is the first Sub-Saharan African to hold the title of Taekwondo World Champion, and has become a national hero in Mali. Keita himself has reflected that “Winning the world title was almost unthinkable for an African, or someone from a developing nation.”
Keïta has become a national figure, making public appearances and meeting several times with the President Amadou Toumani Touré
, who personally saw Keïta off to the Olympics. In part through Keïta's success, Taekwondo has exploded in popularity in the nation. In 2008 the Mali boasted over 150 clubs federated to the Fédération malienne de taekwondo (FEMAT) and 500 black belts among the almost 15,000 Malians who practise the sport.
in Beijing, and was favoured before the games to win the first Olympic Gold Medal for Mali in history. He was quoted in August saying "For any athlete the Olympic Games are a dream... ...Africa really needs this medal."
Keïta was flag bearer for his nation at the opening ceremony, and competed in the 80 + kg Olympic division, beginning 23 August 2008. In the first round, Keïta defeated Mickael Justin Borot
6-5 to advance to the quarterfinals but was knocked out by eventual bronze medalist Nigerian Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije 3 - 2 in extra time.
Much expectation had been placed on the world champion in Mali, which had never won any Olympic medal. After Keïta's loss, the president of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré
, was quoted in the state run paper l'Essor
, saying that this was "A painful day for Mali". The paper announced the loss as "an immense disappointment for the nation."
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
an Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
athlete. Keïta has competed in international competitions since 1996, and in 2007 became the Heavyweight (+84 kg) division 2007 World Taekwondo Champion
2007 World Taekwondo Championships
The 2007 World Taekwondo Championships were the 18th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships, and were held in Beijing, China from May 18 to May 22, 2007.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-References:*...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, and in 2008 competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the +80 kg class.
Personal life
Keïta was born in AbidjanAbidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
(Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
) to Malian parents, and was named for the first President of Mali, Modibo Keita
Modibo Keïta
Modibo Keita ; was the first President of Mali and the Prime Minister of the Mali Federation. He espoused a form of African socialism.-Youth:...
. He was forced to flee the country with his family in 2000 during the wave of xenophobia
Xenophobia
Xenophobia is defined as "an unreasonable fear of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange". It comes from the Greek words ξένος , meaning "stranger," "foreigner" and φόβος , meaning "fear."...
which preceded the Ivorian Civil War. Settling in Mali, Keïta had little funding for training, but received an IOC Olympic Solidarity Scholarship to pay for his training with Ivory Coast fighter Patrice Remarck in the United States . With coach Jorge F. Ramos
Jorge F. Ramos
Master F.Jorge Ramos is an Olympic class taekwondo coach with 37 years of experience.He has based most part of the time in France since 1997.As athlete he made his career between Spain, Portugal and France....
, finances forced Keïta to stay with friends in Beijing during the 2007 world championship and train in a hotel courtyard. Keïta is managed by his older brother, Badra, and has lived and trained in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Two of his brothers and two of his five sisters practice taekwondo, with his sisters both blue belts.
2007 world champion
Despite tearing a back muscle before the match, Keïta won the gold medal for the Heavyweight (84 kg) division 2007 World Taekwondo Champion2007 World Taekwondo Championships
The 2007 World Taekwondo Championships were the 18th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships, and were held in Beijing, China from May 18 to May 22, 2007.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-References:*...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
by beating Iranian Morteza Rostami 3 to -1 in the final. He is the first Sub-Saharan African to hold the title of Taekwondo World Champion, and has become a national hero in Mali. Keita himself has reflected that “Winning the world title was almost unthinkable for an African, or someone from a developing nation.”
Keïta has become a national figure, making public appearances and meeting several times with the President Amadou Toumani Touré
Amadou Toumani Touré
Amadou Toumani Touré is the president of Mali. He overthrew a military ruler, Moussa Traoré in 1991, then handed power to civilian authorities the next year...
, who personally saw Keïta off to the Olympics. In part through Keïta's success, Taekwondo has exploded in popularity in the nation. In 2008 the Mali boasted over 150 clubs federated to the Fédération malienne de taekwondo (FEMAT) and 500 black belts among the almost 15,000 Malians who practise the sport.
2008 Olympic games
He represented Mali at the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing, and was favoured before the games to win the first Olympic Gold Medal for Mali in history. He was quoted in August saying "For any athlete the Olympic Games are a dream... ...Africa really needs this medal."
Keïta was flag bearer for his nation at the opening ceremony, and competed in the 80 + kg Olympic division, beginning 23 August 2008. In the first round, Keïta defeated Mickael Justin Borot
Mickaël Borot
Mickaël Justin Borot is a French Taekwondo athlete.-References:*...
6-5 to advance to the quarterfinals but was knocked out by eventual bronze medalist Nigerian Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije 3 - 2 in extra time.
Much expectation had been placed on the world champion in Mali, which had never won any Olympic medal. After Keïta's loss, the president of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré
Amadou Toumani Touré
Amadou Toumani Touré is the president of Mali. He overthrew a military ruler, Moussa Traoré in 1991, then handed power to civilian authorities the next year...
, was quoted in the state run paper l'Essor
L'Essor
L'Essor is the state-owned national daily newspaper published in Bamako, Mali. Its motto is "La Voix du Peuple" .-History:...
, saying that this was "A painful day for Mali". The paper announced the loss as "an immense disappointment for the nation."
Achievements
- 1996 : Gold Medal at the West African Championship in AbidjanAbidjanAbidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
- 1997 : Gold Medal at the West African Championship in BamakoBamakoBamako is the capital of Mali and its largest city with a population of 1.8 million . Currently, it is estimated to be the fastest growing city in Africa and sixth fastest in the world...
- 1999 : Bronze Medal at the West African Championship in AccraAccraAccra is the capital and largest city of Ghana, with an urban population of 1,658,937 according to the 2000 census. Accra is also the capital of the Greater Accra Region and of the Accra Metropolitan District, with which it is coterminous...
- 2002, 2004 : champion of Mali
- 2004 : Gold Medal at the ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Open Championship, in the Open international Open Championship of NantesNantesNantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
and in the Open Championship of PicardiePicardiePicardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department... - 2005 : Gold Medal at the ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Open Championship - 2005 : Sportsmanship trophy in the 17th World Taekwondo Championships2005 World Taekwondo ChampionshipsThe 2005 World Taekwondo Championships were the 17th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships, and were held in Madrid, Spain from 13 to 17 April 2005.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-Team ranking:...
in MadridMadridMadrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... - 2005 : Gold Medal at the African Championship MadagascarMadagascarThe Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
- 2005 : Gold Medal at the Coupe du monde francophone in NiameyNiamey-Population:While Niamey's population has grown steadily since independence, the droughts of the early 1970s and 1980s, along with the economic crisis of the early 1980s, have propelled an exodus of rural inhabitants to Niger's largest city...
(NigerNigerNiger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
). - 2007 : Gold Medal at the 18th World Taekwondo Championships2007 World Taekwondo ChampionshipsThe 2007 World Taekwondo Championships were the 18th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships, and were held in Beijing, China from May 18 to May 22, 2007.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-References:*...
in BeijingBeijingBeijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
(84 kg) as well as the trophy for MVP (Samsung Blue Passion Award).