Popole Misenga becomes the first refugee judoka to win a match at Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO -- The first refugee judoka to win a match in the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro hopes that his victory is the start of a successful career in the sport.

Born in Congo, Yolande Busaka was the first refugee in action in Rio de Janeiro. She entered the mat to face Linda Bolder from Israel, but lost the contest. A few minutes later, Popole Misenga walked into the same mat to battle India’s Avtar Singh, and his win was celebrated as a title by the Brazilian fans inside the arena.

“When I entered the Olympic arena, I thought nobody would cheer for me, and then I saw all the Brazilians rooting for me,” Misenga told SB Nation. “I was very emotional. I felt something different. I had to win this fight match. I’m very happy with this win because my name is in his the history of the Olympics now. I am a winner too. As a refugee who fought a world champion and the world champion couldn’t do anything to him, I’m a winner. I haven’t fought in three years, and came back like this.”

In the second match, Misenga fought 2015 world champion Donghan Gwak, and lost in the final moments of the bout. Proud of his performance, he vows to enter other tournaments to avenge the loss in the future.

“I didn’t want to know he was a world champion and all that,” said Misenga, always with a smile on his face. “I wanted to go there and beat him. Until the final moments of the fight, he couldn’t take me down. I’m going after him now. I will catch him [laughs]. There will be a rematch. Believe me, I will go after him to beat him [laughs].”

“I can’t explain how happy I am,” he continued. “I never dreamed about competing in judo again, and I came back in the world’s most famous competition. I will come back to judo after the Olympics. I will train, enter other tournaments, win medals, and fight in another Olympics.”

Misenga’s path to Rio de Janeiro is winding and fraught with tragedy. His mother was murdered when he was only 9 years old. Without her, he wandered in the rain forest for over a week before being rescued and taken to Kinshasa, the country’s capital. He grew up in an orphanage inside the sprawling city, learning judo at a young age. His natural talent shined through; Misenga won a bronze medal at the under-20 African Championships and earned a place with the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s national team in 2010.

While judo was his escape from a tumultuous upbringing, it was also the source of a new set of problems. His coaches and trainers in the Congo were ruthless. Misenga and teammate Yolande Mabika suffered grueling training sessions followed by meager rations. Wins were rewarded, but losses were punished with hours locked away in lonely rooms and more intense practices. On international trips, Congolese athletes were confined to their hotel rooms while the national team staff held their passports, wallets and meal tickets.

Off the mats, the culture of violence in their homeland also weighed heavily on the judokas.

“Even in Kinshasa, the military of our country comes to do only one thing: kill,” Misenga told the Guardian. “I’ve seen too much war, too much death. I do not want to get into that. I want to stay clean so I can do my sport.”

In 2013, the pair found their way out. They defected during the 2013 World Judo Championships and sought asylum in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Misenga worked odd jobs, working on Brazil’s roads and in factories. On off days, he and Mabika found a place to hone their craft at Instituto Reação, a training center two hours from their homes run partially on charitable donations set up by Brazilian Olympic medalist Flávio Canto.

The Brazilian Judo Federation supported the pair by providing food, uniforms, transportation costs and medicine. Still, the adjustment from their previous national team was stark.

“They were used to being punished and mistreated when they lost,” said longtime Brazilian judo head coach Geraldo Bernardes. “I had to tell them that training and fighting are different things. Their previous treatment seemed to be subhuman. Here, everyone supports them.”

But after learning to dial back their intensity in practice, the displaced athletes settled into a rhythm. Despite only practicing at the center three days a week, both Misenga and Mabika were chosen to join the Refugee Olympic Athletes in 2016. Misenga had the chance to tell the media his story at a press conference on Aug. 1, and broke down in tears doing so.

I have two brothers and I haven’t seen them. I don’t know how they look anymore because we were separated since we were small. So I send hugs and kisses to my brothers. If you can see me on television now, you can see that your brother is here in Brazil and alive and well.The 24-year-old athlete, who hasn’t seen his brothers in 15 years, wonders if his family in Congo was able to watch him compete in the Olympics, and hopes that his win sends a message to other refugees.

“I believe (other refugees) are happy,” he said on Tuesday. “Nobody thought an African like me would be able to win a fight, and then fight a world champion. I think the other refugees from Congo are happy. ‘How did he do this?’ I did it because I wanted to win. Every refugee is a human being, too, and we can win in everything we want if you believe in yourself.”

Married to Fabiana Soares and father of Elias, Misenga will continue to represent the refugees in tournaments - unless the Brazilian team offers him a spot in competitions.

“I’m feeling part Brazilian now because I’m the father of a Brazilian and I’m married to a Brazilian,” Misenga said. “There are a lot of judokas here in Brazil already. It would be really hard to get in (the team), and I’m already on the refugee team. If they call me, I might go. But my documents say I’m a refugee. I can stay on the refugee team.”