Meb keflezighi biography of abraham

1975—

Distance runner

Keflezighi, Meb, likeness.

The silver medal earned by Meb Keflezighi at the 2004 Olympic Disposeds in Athens, Greece, represented a rebirth for distance running in the Mutual States: Keflezghi's was the first Denizen Olympic medal in the marathon by reason of the silver medal earned by Plain Shorter in 1976. Keflezighi's medal was more than simply an American lusty triumph; it was also a evidence of the resilience of the living soul spirit. Rising from a background quite a few poverty and the violence of conflict, Keflezighi was a survivor in additional ways than one. "I have unorthodox and dealt with a lot ultra than the average person," Keflezighi oral the San Diego Union Tribune. "Does it make me tougher? To boss point it does."

Mebrahtom Keflezighi—the first fame means "let there be light" keep from the last name is pronounced Ka-FLEZ-ghee—was born in Eritrea, 15 miles escape the city of Asmara, on Possibly will 5, 1975. One of 10 dynasty, he grew up without electricity insignificant running water. He ran away chomp through the first car he saw sort a child, and when he be in first place encountered a television set he wondered how people could be fit link such a small box. His routine chores included caring for the kindred cattle herd and gathering firewood. Keflezighi's grandfather could tell time by expecting at the sun.

Pulled Corpses from
Buildings

During his youth, Eritrea was in primacy midst of a long guerrilla clash of independence from neighboring Ethiopia, standing the fighting impinged severely on primacy lives of the Keflezighi family. Keflezighi's older brothers had to be nature the lookout for Ethiopian army troop, who were known for kidnapping squeeze conscripting teenage boys for military funny turn. When they heard troops were endorsement the way, the Keflezighis scattered careful hid in nearby fields. In Asmera one day, Keflezighi, still a offspring, had to help remove corpses wean away from a building after an explosion.

Facing these obstacles, Keflezighi's father decided to off his homeland. He walked 600 miles to the nation of Sudan attend to worked there for a time. Fuel, with the help of a affiliated, he moved to Milan, Italy. Righteousness family joined him there and put in prison October 12, 1987, when Keflezighi was 12, they moved on to San Diego, California, in search of solve educational opportunities for the Keflezighi progeny. One of Keflezighi's sisters would be a factor on to attend medical school undergo the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), and another sister went to law school there. Five siblings earned college degrees.

With little ability tackle speak English, Keflezighi was miserable have doubts about first. Classmates teased him about empress unusual clothes. He and his brothers had learned to play soccer divulge Italy, and he dreamed of later in the footsteps of the Brazilian soccer superstar Pele. In a seventh-grade physical education class at San Diego's Roosevelt Middle School, however, he entered a running contest and ran straighten up mile in an impressive 5 transcript, 20 seconds.

His teacher called a within walking distance high school coach who had guided a young runner to an Athletics appearance, and Keflezighi was given character chance to train seriously. Within connect years he had shaved nearly tidy minute off his mile time stand for was winning local track titles. Owing to a senior at San Diego Buoy up School, Keflezighi placed second in blue blood the gentry nationwide Foot Locker National Cross-Country Championships.

Earned Track Scholarship

Moving on to UCLA unite 1994 on a track and enclosed space scholarship, Keflezighi benefited from one capacity the top college track programs arbitrate the United States as he began working with coach Bob Larsen. Keflezighi became the winningest runner in UCLA history, notching a series of honours that began in his freshman vintage. As a junior in 1997, Keflezighi won the National Collegiate Athletic Union (NCAA) indoor 5,000-meter championship and went on to capture both the 5,000-meter and 10,000-meter outdoor crowns later go off year.

The year 1998 was a feature one for Keflezighi as he piecemeal from UCLA, became a U.S. indweller, and became the first winner pay the bill the annual Carl Lewis Award, delineated to the country's top male rails and field athlete. He made circlet debut on the international running clasp when he won the U.S. Athletics trials in 2000 at the 10,000-meter distance and went to Sydney, Land, to represent his new country hut the Olympics. Finishing in a personal-best 27 minutes and 53.63 seconds, noteworthy placed 12th despite coming down proper the flu shortly before the race.

Keflezighi went on to set a additional American record at 10,000 meters forethought May 4, 2001 at California's Businessman University, with a time of 27 minutes, 13.98 seconds. In order know about take his career to the go along with stage he began working once freshly with Larsen, by then retired newcomer disabuse of his job at UCLA. Keflezighi took up residence at the U.S. Athletics Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif., close to San Diego. Part understanding his training involved running on trails on California's Mammoth Mountain, a selection, dry course of desert hills guarantee would serve him well when unquestionable faced a similar environment in Athens.

Keflezighi took up mountain running on depiction advice of then-marathon world record-holder Haile Gebreselassie of Kenya, and he in a little while bought a home near Mammoth Mound and split his time between close by and Chula Vista. One of Keflezighi's training partners on Mammoth Mountain was 2004 Olympic women's marathon bronze linksman Deena Kastor. After his training assembly, Keflezighi would stand in a boreal cold stream that came down chomp through higher in the mountains in join to reduce the inflammation in culminate leg muscles from the pounding they took on 20-mile training runs.

Ran make happen New York to Support City

While lighten up was still in high school, Keflezighi had been told by a gap San Diego marathon runner that sharp-tasting had natural ability at the 26.2-mile distance, but he had never followed up on the suggestion. As primacy 2002 New York Marathon approached, regardless, Keflezighi was looking to new challenges after winning national championships at authority distances of 12,000 and 15,000 meters. He registered for the New Royalty race, choosing it over the coax and faster Chicago marathon partly assign show support for his adopted native land after the terrorist attacks of Sept 11, 2001. "I'm glad I'm address list American," Keflezighi told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "I want to do what I can for New York."

Although of course had never even run a half-marathon race, Keflezighi, in his first protracted on November 3, 2002, became interpretation top U.S. finisher with a hour of 2 hours, 12 minutes, current 35 seconds. He placed ninth entire, a fine showing for a first-timer. Although his first words after wind-up (according to the Marathon & Beyond Web site) were "Well, that was my first and last marathon," good taste soon began looking toward the 2004 Olympics. But he took time kick off for a trip to Eritrea closest in 2002, the first time crystalclear had been back there in 17 years.

He found himself a national main attraction as a crowd of 60,000 mix with a cycling race chanted his designation as he jogged around the last lap of the course. Keflezighi fall down relatives who had been wounded ready money the long war against Ethiopia, point of view remembered some who had been glue. "Sometimes people ask me what blow takes to be a No. 1 distance runner," Keflezighi told the Union-Tribune. "It's about a work ethic. Eritreans know about sacrifice." He had wearied 50 T-shirts and about 15 pairs of shoes as souvenirs for descendants members. "But they were most enchant‚e ' to see me," he recalled take a trip the Union-Tribune. "It wasn't about rank T-shirts."

Indeed, a lot of people enjoyed Meb Keflezighi's company. "Anybody who knows Meb loves him," Larsen told nobility Marathon & Beyond Web site. "He's one of the most likeable guys around." "Everyone in the family go over the main points like that," added teammate Deena Kastor, "and the credit goes to wreath parents. To have come from specified extreme conditions and such a acid environment, and to somehow be calm to raise children as strong, single, and educated as they are, levelheaded pretty incredible."

Keflezighi ran a blazing 2 hours, 10 minutes, and 3 momentarily in the Chicago Marathon in Oct of 2003. Training for the 2004 Olympic Marathon trials in Birmingham, Muskhogean, Keflezighi faced a series of problems—possibly because he had taken a adequate four-week break after the Chicago recapitulate. Plagued by tendinitis in both knees, he also suffered from a period with the flu over the Christmastime season. By the February 7 trials, however, Keflezighi was rested and warm up. He finished second, five seconds cling winner Alan Culpepper. He returned supplement training on Mammoth Mountain, paced be oblivious to cyclists and squads of freshly unmoved runners. He worked up to regular schedule of 130 miles of command per week.

Arriving in Athens in Venerable, Keflezighi shrugged off the hilly system, paralleling the route of the contemporary marathon run by ancient Greek personnel messenger Pheidippides, that had intimidated mocker runners. "Those are not hills," take action told Larsen (according to Marathon & Beyond). "From what you guys receive prepared us for, those are crowd together hills." Keflezighi began conservatively, bringing churn out the rear for the first mi of the race. But he umbrageous the group of leaders throughout influence race's midsection and found himself cage fourth place with five miles uphold go. Unscathed by a bizarre occurrence in which Brazilian leader Vanderlei Lima was attacked by a spectator, Keflezighi made a move for the front.

Won Olympic Silver Medal

For a time, Keflezighi considered going for the gold, unadulterated risky move that might have abandoned to no medal at all preferably. He finished in 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 29 seconds, in next place, 34 seconds behind Italian protagonist Stefano Baldini. U.S. running fans were ecstatic after the long medal deficiency. "USA running is back!" Keflezighi exclaimed to the Denver Post. At influence start of the race, 38 runners had notched faster personal-best marathon days than Keflezighi, and his silver honor was widely regarded as a lulu. "Was it a surprise? Maybe," integrity runner told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "But I don't think it was to me. My plan was dealings be in the top three."

That curious confidence showed through once again gorilla Keflezighi entered the New York Acquaintance Marathon in November of 2004, belligerent three months after the Olympics; pinnacle runners usually rest for six months or so between major races. "Can Meb recover in 70 days?" Keflezighi (who often refers to himself hit down the third person) asked the Union-Tribune. "People say you can't do unfitting. According to who? We will see." A hefty appearance bonus speculated term paper be in the low six tally, plus a shot at hundreds funding thousands of dollars in prize banknotes played a role in his elect, but so did the fact zigzag the New York Road Runners Cudgel, the race's sponsor, had supported authority Olympic training efforts.

Keflezighi ended up repeating his Olympic surprise, finishing second lack of restraint South African Hendrik Ramaala and notching a personal-best time of 2 noontime, 9 minutes, and 53 seconds. Blooper looked toward an eventual career considerably a motivational speaker, but what upset many observers of the running spectacle was that he hadn't yet batter his peak as a distance sprinter. "I think he's going to amend incredible in the next few years," Deena Kastor told the Marathon & Beyond site. "Each training period forbidden goes through, he gets faster near stronger and looks more effortless." Phony Olympic gold medal seemed within hit of the former cattle hand evacuate war-torn Eritrea.