ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times

DATE: Thursday, April 17, 1997               TAG: 9704170055
SECTION: SPORTS                   PAGE: B-4  EDITION: METRO 
DATELINE: MONETA
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM THE ROANOKE TIMES

EXCHANGE STUDENT AHMED SANGBANA HAS RETURNED TO STAUNTON RIVER GIVING HIS TEAM A JUMP-START

Ahmed Sangbana is at Staunton River for a second year and he could be a key to winning another state track championship.

Ahmed Sangbana came for a year and decided to stay for a career at Staunton River.

Last year Sangbana, then a junior, was an exchange student from Togo, a nation on the West Coast of Africa. He played a role as the Golden Eagles won the Group AA boys' track title, but his return this year may be what Staunton River needs to make it two in a row.

Sangbana gave up the fall sports season to be able to stay for a second year of track. Under Virginia High School League rules, an exchange student is eligible for only one season.

Sangbana wants to stay in the United States for college track. He actually came here from France, where he lived with his mother, brother and sister after they left their home in Togo because of a civil war.

Sangbana, who speaks French, English and Mina, the language of Togo, will return to his family after college.

Staunton River track coach Joe Curcio knew nothing about Sangbana until he arrived in Moneta.

``He came to me the first or second day of school with his host family, said he had run in France and that he wanted to run track,'' Curcio said.

``He asked me if I ran cross country. I said, `Just track,''' Sangbana said.

At Curcio's encouragement, Sangbana ran cross country in the fall of 1995 to train for track.

Early last spring, the story was Staunton River had a super runner who was an exchange student. Though Sangbana did well on a district and regional level, he didn't dominate the state. That could change this year in the 200- and 400-meter dashes. He finished fifth in the 200 last year.

``I see him scoring points in both events in the state. He'll be in position to finish very high in each of them,'' said Curcio, who wouldn't be stunned if Sangbana won an event.

Sangbana might also be a factor in the long, triple or high jumps and on one of the relay teams. If he does, it could be an big day for the Golden Eagles.

``He's run a sub 50 for the 400 and he's right at 22 flat for the 200," Curcio said. ``He's a 6-foot-3 or 6-4 high jumper when he's clicking on all cylinders. He's almost 44 feet in the triple jump and over 22 in the long jump.''

With the exception of the triple jump, all those performances would have scored high in last year's state.

There was a hint of Sangbana's improvement. He won the 600 meters in the Group AA indoor meet. Now Sangbana is more used to his surroundings and running better. He has already qualified for both the 200- and 400-meter dashes in state competition.

``It's a pleasant surprise,'' said Curcio, who lost only one key member from last year's team. ``But it was a pleasant surprise when he came last year just as it was during this past summer when he said he wanted to come back for his senior season.

``Ahmed has improved tremendously. When he came here last year, he had a lot of ability. He hadn't trained on a regular basis. He used his God-given ability. Now, training on a regular basis, we've seen a lot of improvement.''

Sangbana's desire to stay in the U.S. for his schooling is tied up in sports. In France, there is no athletic competition among schools. It's all on a club level.

``When I was in France, I'd practice two days a week,'' Sangbana said. ``But I didn't lift weights. Here we practice every day and lift weights.''

Despite his language proficiency, Sangbana had to get used to the Southern accent and people at school had to get accustomed to him.

``I couldn't understand a word he said,'' said Curcio of their first meeting.

Sangbana said, ``People talked too fast. I knew the words. In a month, I could understand Coach Curcio.''

``He understood me before I could understand him,'' Curcio said .

Sangbana may go to Virginia Tech or William and Mary and run track. Curcio says grades are no problem.

LENGTH: Medium:   84 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  KELLY HAHN JOHNSON THE ROANOKE TIMES. Ahmed Sangbana may
          help Staunton River to consecutive state track titles as a sprinter 
          and jumper.