Rodrigue

BEIRUT PORT EXPLOSION, 4 AUGUST 2020

‘I WAS MEANT TO BE ROWING 200M FROM THE EXPLOSION’

Rodrigue Ibrahim and Spiro recall how their Bible session kept Rodrigue away from disaster

[Below is the transcript of the conversation between Spiro and Rodrigue]

I met you, Spiro, through my friend Lana. On 4 August 2020, when you were doing some Bible studies and prayers, I joined you. You met Lana, and I joined, then she left, and it was just me and you, all by ourselves. She wanted to go to her studies, I stayed with you because I had things to talk with you about.

As we were praying and talking about Scripture, you didn’t know then that I was training for the Olympics. I was training for the World Championships and qualifications, also the Olympics. It was a dream of mine… the same dream as other athletes who would love to go to the Olympics.

I was a member of the rowing club down by the port. I was supposed to be there while we were continuing with our prayers and Bible study. I was supposed to have left you, Spiro, at 5.30pm so that I could be at the port by 5.45-5.55pm. I should have been on the water around 6pm, because [any later] there wouldn’t be any more light, and we need light to row in the water as boats are continually coming in and out from the busy port.

We usually only have a small window of opportunity for me to do my training, my rowing. The rowing club is located around 200 metres away from the place that exploded; there is only the sea between our centre and where the explosion happened. There was nothing to stop the force of the blast of the explosion; there was only the water between us.

I was so involved in the discussion of the Scriptures and prayers with you that day, Spiro, that I forgot about rowing and when I realised it was too late – I had missed my training.

It was four years ago, so it’s not easy to remember details now. After Corona and so on, we don’t remember a lot of things.

On that particular day, I didn’t remember that I had an appointment to go to the rowing club until it was too late. I only realised when the connection between us had been cut, there was no more video call between me and you, the Zoom meeting had closed and, suddenly, I realised it was 6.08pm, so I went running up to see what was happening and I saw all the things from the roof of the building where I live – it was a bad memory…

I felt the explosion. We had a broken window here in our home. I think we are around 15-20km from where the explosion was, and my window broke from the impact. So if I was on the water, 200m away, it is the worst question someone could ask me, because really you can’t imagine it… There are a lot of thoughts about what could have happened… Maybe I could have lost my life, maybe I could be lost also, maybe I could be broken on the rocks, maybe… With God, there is nothing impossible.

God allowed us to meet that day, so that I can speak to you and forget about the rowing and to keep me home. I really think this, and it happened with a lot of people, by the way. Many people lost their jobs and their businesses also, some people got miraculously saved in this kind of way, many people who were meant to be down there, and somehow God sent them in a different direction that day.

In September 2020, the BBC invited me to give them an interview. On the 7 September, on the BBC news website, the headlines were:

‘Beirut blast: the rowers left with nothing cling to Olympics dream’,

 and that could have been me!

The port where it happened was on the other side, I think that there is a picture [on BBC website] that shows there.

The BBC news article reads: ‘Rodrigue Ibrahim could have easily lost his life on 4 August 2020.’

Thank God, I didn’t.

The article continues: ‘The soldier and rower was planning to head down to his beloved rowing club on the waters opposite the port of Beirut at 5.30pm but a Bible study session on Zoom with a friend in London overran.’

Actually, it was in Cardiff, Spiro, [not London], but I didn’t know that then, it was the first time I met you!

Because of this meeting, I told them, I didn’t go to the rowing club, but I really should have been rowing at this time. They mentioned that, sadly, half an hour later we all saw the pictures of the mushroom cloud explosion and ‘almost 200 people died, thousands were injured.’

The Lebanese Rowing Federation training centre was completely destroyed, and they have a picture – the rowing club is on the left, and there the explosion happened.

It says that the club would have been full and, this is a picture of the rowing club from another angle, completely destroyed, so if someone was in the water I wouldn’t like to guess what would have happened to them.

They have a picture of me with me rowing in front of the warehouse that exploded. Also, I think I can share with you later a picture with me and my colleague doing a double on the 4 August 2018, when we were doing training two years before.

The warehouse where the explosion happened is directly behind us. The Federation had been there since 1998, but nothing has been done to it since; so it was the end of the rowing club.

Somehow in 2022, I was well qualified for the World Championship with my time trial but not outdoor rowing…. That’s why I couldn’t make it to the Olympics in Tokyo because I was not able to get into the water in Lebanon and I couldn’t afford the training camps outside my country because it cost a lot and I needed to sacrifice my job and things like this.

I went to the International Olympic Academy in 2018 and there I found my passion again and it’s totally a different mentality when you do anything that is related to the Olympics.

Since then, I put in my mind that I wanna go there because the Olympic Games are totally different from the Olympic Academy.

This is the picture by the way, this is the warehouse where the explosion happened, and this is us. I think that they are saying that it was on 4 August 2018.

I used to train for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, but after we lost this, I went training for 2024 Olympics in Paris. I qualified for the World Championships in 2022 but I couldn’t continue because I wasn’t not training on water all this time, and also I couldn’t go to the training camp outside my country because of the cost and my job – plus, I think that I am not young any more so I can’t sacrifice any more.

What have I won since?

I just won first place in my category in the Lebanese Indoor Championship the week before. God is a God of miracles. Dreams can come true.

Spiro then prayed for Rodrigue to give thanks to God and for his protection and for all those who lost their lives and are still suffering in any way due to the blast in Beirut on 4 August 2020.

Rodrigue continued:
I want to add my coach; he is in his 70s, he is sick, he is in bed. He is in Scotland. His name is John.

[Spiro Prays for those who were affected that day:]

Lord, we pray for all those who lost their lives on that terrible day in Beirut on 4 August 2020. Lord, we keep them all in our hearts and in our minds this day and on the coming day of the anniversary, a few days from now. Lord, we pray that all those souls that lost their lives will be guided to you into your Eternal Kingdom where they will find their peace and joy and eternal good. Lord, we pray for their families who are still grieving, those that they’ve lost. Lord, bring them peace and comfort and strength; Lord, take away their fears and anxiety. And we pray for all those who are still suffering, all those who are injured in one way or another, all those who are affected by this blast, those who lost their jobs, those who lost limbs, those who lost their ability to work, lost their life, their income, business, family. Lord, help them and their loved ones recover from this as best as they can, although it is something we can never forget. Lord, bring them peace and comfort and faith and strength to continue, give them hope, a future, a good future. Lord, we pray for all those who at this time of the year will be remembering all that happened. Lord, guide them in these days that they may have courage and boldness to persevere and to move forward, keeping those that they love in their hearts and in their memories, and recognising that with God anything is possible, that their eternal life, our eternal life is more important than anything that can happen on this earth. Heavenly Father, we ask all this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Rodrigue’s final words:

I hope that what God gives me in this life, there’s a purpose for it, so I hope I can find it.

Spiro: Lord, grant Rodrigue the grace of fulfilling his God-given purpose and destiny in this life and into eternity. Send your holy angels to assist him, shine your Divine light on him, keep him safe, well, joyful, strong and increase his faith. Take away all fear and anxiety and doubt, and give him a heart of gratitude to know that your Divine hand saved him that day. Amen.

References:

See – BBC News web page here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-54013623