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Robson Sharuko-Senior Sports Editor
IF Janine Beckie scores today, and helps Canada win their first Olympics football gold, the Manchester City forward will probably feel her date with destiny, was scripted in heaven.
After all, it will come exactly on the fifth anniversary of Beckie announced her arrival,on the big stage in a 3-1 win over the Mighty Warriors, at the 2016 Olympics, in Brazil.
In that match, at the Arena Corinthians in Sao Paulo, on August 6, 2016, she scored twice for the Canadians, in a match in which the Zimbabweans charmed the world, with their fighting spirit.
When Beckie opened the scoring, in the seventh minute, and Christine Sinclair doubled their lead, in the 19th minute, there were fears this would be a massacre.
Those fears were boosted when Beckie grabbed her brace, in the 35th minute, to give the Canadians a comprehensive 3-0 lead, before the interval.
However, rather than be swept away by the tide, the Mighty Warriors took their game, to another level, in the second half.
They fought bravely, in what was their best performance in Brazil, and it triggered a massive outpouring of support, for them, from the 30 295 fans, inside the stadium.
Mavis Chirandu’s goal, in the final minute, sparked the biggest roar, from the crowd.
“It’s nice to play with people actually cheering, no matter who they’re cheering for, and people that are involved,” said Canadian striker, Melissa Tancredi.
“They (the Zimbabweans) have all the heart in the world. It’s good to see people cheer for them.”
It’s a narrative that was also captured by The Canadian Press.
“Saturday’s match may have well been played in Harare, given the heat and vocal support from the Corinthians Arena crowd of 30 295, which cheered every Zimbabwe pass and tackle,” wrote Neil Davidson.
“After the final whistle, the crowd chanted ‘Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe.’’’
This was a huge improvement for the Mighty Warriors, against the eventual group winners and bronze medalists, and it helped make up for the identical 1-6 thrashing they suffered, at the hands of Australia and Germany.
While Beckie had scored, what is the earliest goal in the history of football at the Olympics, when she struck in the very first minute of Canada’s 2-1 win over Australia, it was her brace, against the Mighty Warriors, which propelled her into the global limelight.
Her three goals didn’t only help Canada take home the bronze, but saw her finishing second, in the race for the Golden Boot, behind the five goals, scored by Germany’s Melaine Behringer.
Five years later, Beckie is back at the Olympics and, today, has the chance to help her country win gold, which will be a huge improvement, to the bronze they won in Brazil, in 2016.
She has already two goals in Japan, which both came in a 2-1 group win, against Chile.
And, if they beat plucky Sweden, in the battle for gold, which has been pushed back by 10 hours to ensure the two teams don’t suffer in the heat, Beckie and her Canadians will take home the gold.
In the semi-finals, Canada eliminated the United States, a country which Beckie could have played for, as she was born in Colorado, and holds dual American and Canadian citizenship.
Ahead of their battle, against the Mighty Warriors, the Canadian players were constantly reminded by their coach, never to underestimate the indomitable spirit of their opponents, who had moved mountains, just to be in Brazil.
And, for Beckie, such a spirit, to confront and beat the odds, ringed a bell on a very personal level.
Whether it’s what inspired her, to produce the individual performance, which catapulted her into the international limelight, with that double against the Mighty Warriors, the world will never know.
But, it’s possible to predict, given her personal circumstances, she felt compelled to also take her performance, to another level, against opponents, who had made a mockery of hurdles, to get to the Olympics in Brazil.
Beckie’s father, Gary, whose interest in oil had taken the family from Canada to the United, died of skin cancer, when she was just eight, leaving her mother, Sheila, to raise her, and three older siblings.
“My mom had no job at the time. She had to get a job. She actually cleaned houses for a year,” Beckie told the Toronto Star.
“Then, she went back to school, got her Masters degree in counselling and now has an amazing job at a high school that she’s very good at.
“She’s the most amazing person I’ve ever known.
“And, I have a lot of who my dad was, in me. He was very outgoing, loved to be with people, loved to be competitive and active.
“Hilarious, too — I don’t have as much of that as he did, which I wish I did.
“So, wearing this jersey is very much an honour to represent my family and my late dad.”
Beckie was one of the first Canadians, to comfort the beaten Mighty Warriors, in Sao Paulo, probably impressed by the way they had fought, despite the odds they faced, in that match.
Whether she will still spare a thought for them, or for that game against them, which propelled her into the big time, should she land gold today, on the fifth anniversary of her confrontation with them, we might never know.
But, it’s likely the Mighty Warriors still remember her, even though they are now barely recognisable as the same team, which took on Beckie and her teammates, in Brazil. Her success could probably just be what they need to remind them, of a time, when they used to be a proper team, which punched well beyond their weight.
Online Reporter