THE POWER OF BELIEVING IN COMPLETION: BOU SAMNANG AND THE ART OF PERSEVERANCE

Imagine an athletics race. Heavy rain pouring down, a heavy track… A race where the winner was decided six minutes ago… A quiet and curious wait in the stands… And on that track, a woman still running in her soaked uniform: Bou Sam nang.

Bou Samnang was born in the suburbs of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. She had three siblings. When her father died young in an accident, her mother took various jobs to support the children. With her mother working long hours, Bou often looked after her siblings most of the day. As a result, she constantly struggled both at home and at school. For her, poverty was not just an obstacle but a life test that shaped her character.

Samnang, due to her passion for running, had to train on une ven concrete roads with only one pair of old shoes, without a watch or heart rate monitor, from her youth onwards. Despite all the difficulties, she never gave up and continued to run. It was as if she only felt free when she ran. The feeling of freedom she experienced while running had become a kind of escape route in her life, surrounded by difficulties.

In 2016, her talent was discovered and she was called up to the national team. This call-up opened a door for her to take a break from the burdens she had been carrying for years. It was also a source of great pride for her family, as Samnang’s success gave her siblings hope.
In the following years, Samnang had to live away from home and train in China for long periods to prepare for the 2023 Southeast Asian Games, the first time the event was held in her country. Training was extremely demanding during this period; she spent most of her day on the track and doing conditioning work, making short phone calls to her family in her spare time to tell them she missed them.

This young Cambodian athlete finished last in the 5,000-meter race at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games. She wasn’t the winner that day, but she became unforgettable. Because when everyone thought the race was over, she didn’t stop; she kept running toward the finish line. Her ability to keep going where many athletes had given up stemmed from years of being accustomed to life’s struggles.

Bou Samnang suffered from anemia and was weaker and less powerful than her competitors. But this child from a poor family had a goal: to represent her country in the best possible way in the race she was participating in and to fly her flag.

Samnang explained why she didn’t quit the race: “I could have quit, as is often the case in these situations, but because I was representing Cambodia, it was important for me to see the race through to the end.” Many people in Bou Samnang’s position might have seen no need to continue and could have abandoned the race halfway through. But she chose to continue. The stands responded to her determination with applause. Referring to the principle in Social Development that “Individuals are empowered by the support of society, but they transform through their own will,” she created her own victory from what society called “failure.” Because success should be the right not only of the winners, but also of those who never give up.

Samnang explained why she didn’t quit the race: “I could have quit, as is often the case in these situations, but because I was representing Cambodia, it was important for me to see the race through to the end.” Many people in Bou Samnang’s position might have seen no need to continue and could have abandoned the race halfway through. But she chose to continue. The stands responded to her determination with applause. Referring to the principle in Social Development that “Individuals are empowered by the support of society, but they transform through their own will,” she created her own victory from what society called “failure.” Because success should be the right not only of the winners, but also of those who never give up.

Today, we get lost watching the dazzling success stories that appear on social media apps. Yet perhaps what we need is Bou’s simple courage: not giving up and continuing on the path, even if it means getting wet and risking coming in last. In deed, the phrase often found in personal development books, “Don’t set out to win, set out to finish,” found its counterpart in Samnang’s story. Samnang, who walked to the finish line despite the heavy rain, reminded us that life is not a race for those who cross the finish line the fastest, but for those who keep walking to the end, even when they fall, struggle, and have no strength left.

Cambodian athlete Bou Samnang, who taught us a life lesson with her attitude in this race, says: “I learned never to give up, to keep pushing, to persevere, to be patient. Even if you walk slowly, even if you progress slowly, the important thing is to finish. Progressing slowly is much better than not finishing, than not crossing the finish line. That’s why what I learned from this experience is to keep moving forward and persevere.”