Biniam Girmay: Africa’s new cycling hero
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 27 June 2023
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On 1 July 2024, Biniam Girmay made history as the first black African rider to win a stage of cycling’s biggest race: the Tour de France. After a hard upbringing as one of six children in the Eritrean capital Asmara, he has become one of the most talented riders from the continent in the sport’s history.
In 2023, Matt Warwick discovered what Girmay's victories have meant for Eritrea and Eritreans, as well as the rest of Africa. He tells the story of his extraordinary early life and examines the significance of what his achievements can mean for such an accessible sport, which, after more than 100 years, remains almost completely white European.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The HappyPod is a special weekly episode from the Global News podcast bringing new positive stories and uplifting interviews from around the world. |
| 0:09.0 | I've got some good news for you. It's a beautiful place to be. |
| 0:12.0 | A really good vibe, you know. |
| 0:14.0 | It's the audio equivalent of rose tinted spectacles. |
| 0:17.0 | The world's happier stories for your stories, absolutely inspirational. |
| 0:20.0 | A pletting. Remarkable. |
| 0:22.0 | Listen now by searching for the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service, wherever you get your podcasts. |
| 0:31.0 | Welcome to the documentary from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:37.0 | Harry Trae's Binion Girmai made history at the Giro d'Italia in 2022 by becoming the first black African to win a stage at one of professional road cycling's three grand tours. |
| 0:48.0 | Now, he's on the cusp of winning at the biggest race there is, the Tour de France. |
| 0:53.0 | I'm Matt Warwick and I'm in Switzerland where the Tour de France is one of the key warmer events ahead of the tour and where Girmai is competing. |
| 1:01.0 | I'm exploring his rise to the top of the sport and asking what could his success mean for cycling in Harry Traeer. |
| 1:07.0 | In fact, the whole of Africa. This is Binion Girmai, Africa's new cycling hero. |
| 1:15.0 | I like him, he's strong, he's the teacher for us in this moment. |
| 1:19.0 | And it will involve a classic monument but even also in culture it's always in my dream. |
| 1:26.0 | He wanted to be pro, he wanted to win to the France, it was a big dream. |
| 1:30.0 | He's got the caliber and the ability to be able to win a stage of the Tour de France this year. |
| 1:37.0 | Well now let's get up to speed. Binion Girmai is already a sensation in the sport but in Harry Traeer the referee for his strength on and off the bike is next level. |
| 1:47.0 | And that was amplified here in Switzerland when he won stage 2 and he was mobbed by a Retrain fans who even held an umbrella over his head after he crossed the line. |
| 2:00.0 | When I see now his Binion Girmai is a hero, he's a feature of the riders of his hand. |
| 2:06.0 | My name is Paneil Lebrane, I've come from Austria. |
| 2:10.0 | In Austria we have a lot of riders just like Binion he has a sprinter. |
... |
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