Sebastian Coe with Noca de Portela (centre) and the President of the Portela samba school (© IAAF)
Noca de Portela, the 83-year-old samba guitarist, singer, composer and broadcaster who lives just opposite the Olympic Stadium, had a dream to get to the stadium and see his hero Usain Bolt.
Tonight Noca’s wish came true.
The IAAF invited Noca and seven of his colleagues from the Old Guard of Portela, the samba school of the Engenho de Dentro district in which the Olympic Stadium is located, to come to watch the evening session, in particular the men’s 200m.
They came donning the Portela school hat and emblems to do a ‘torcida’, cheering for Bolt in the 200m final.
Ahead of the evening’s competition, Noca and the President of the Portela samba school met up with IAAF President Sebastian Coe in the stadium and presented him with a club hat, whose band showed the school’s name, colours and eagle.
Another hat in Portela colours was specially made for the Jamaican sprint legend, with ‘Usain Bolt’ on the hat band.
IAAF
