Polk fulfils Engagement vow to Sierra Leone’s Sprinter amidst COVID-19 Hurdle

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson

Sierra Leone’s only sprinter at the 2020 Olympics games in Japan Maggie Barrie was amazed at the Columbus Airport after his fiancé Zach Polk gifted the athlete with an engagement ring. 

Maggie was returning home from the world games hosted in Tokyo after competing in the preliminary round of the 100meter race setting a new record haven crosses the finish line spending only 11.45 but met her long time boyfriend Zach Polk along with her family members and friends ready for her engagement.

NBC media had to swing their cameras around a stirring crowd at the airport who were gazing at the decorated engagement spot where Maggie Barrie’s fiancé Polk had specially prepared, letting the NBC crew switch focus from its earlier plan to conduct a post Olympic interview with the Sierra Leonean sprinter based in the United States, but had to focus to interview separately, Maggie and her fiancé about their engagement.

Zack said he is excited that his surprise engagement plan with Maggie worked out for him. 

“I was supposed to be at the Games in Tokyo where I was planning to engage Maggie but I had to annul my trip due to COVID-19 travel restrictions in the United States and Japan. 

He said he had to persuade Maggie to arrive late in order to be able to catch up with the NBC media post Olympic interview to earn him enough plan to set the stage at the airport for their trending engagement. He told Journalists.

The sprinter whose hope of earning a medal from the world games were dashed last week after she failed to proceed from the women’s 100 meters qualifier after finishing on 7th position at last year’s the postponed Olympics due to Corona virus that was hosted in the Japanese nation without fans.

Maggie said she was excited to be gifted with such a surprise engagement upon her arrival at the airport after a very long ride in the air with her flight from Chicago. 

“I’m so happy to have participated in the Olympics at the same time got engaged to the love of her life,” she added.

However, the athlete has received wide range of congratulatory messages from Sierra Leone and the world over while their engagement video keeps trending on social media.