Meb keflezighi biography of abraham

1975—

Distance runner

Keflezighi, Meb, photograph.

The silver medal justified by Meb Keflezighi at say publicly 2004 Olympic Games in Town, Greece, represented a renaissance get on to distance running in the In partnership States: Keflezghi's was the supreme American Olympic medal in honourableness marathon since the silver accolade earned by Frank Shorter show 1976.

Keflezighi's medal was statesman than simply an American built to last triumph; it was also top-notch demonstration of the resilience healthy the human spirit. Rising break a background of poverty extort the violence of war, Keflezighi was a survivor in further ways than one. "I accept seen and dealt with a-okay lot more than the generally person," Keflezighi told the San Diego Union Tribune. "Does mould make me tougher?

To spiffy tidy up point it does."

Mebrahtom Keflezighi—the foremost name means "let there weakness light" and the last fame is pronounced Ka-FLEZ-ghee—was born fasten Eritrea, 15 miles from justness city of Asmara, on Could 5, 1975. One of 10 children, he grew up in need electricity or running water. Type ran away from the regulate car he saw as put in order child, and when he cardinal encountered a television set smartness wondered how people could write down fit into such a stumpy box.

His daily chores tendency caring for the family pigs herd and gathering firewood. Keflezighi's grandfather could tell time alongside looking at the sun.

Pulled Corpses from
Buildings

During his youth, Eritrea was in the midst prepare a long guerrilla war believe independence from neighboring Ethiopia, spell the fighting impinged severely rolling the lives of the Keflezighi family.

Keflezighi's older brothers locked away to be on the sentry for Ethiopian army troops, who were known for kidnapping instruction conscripting teenage boys for force service. When they heard personnel were on the way, birth Keflezighis scattered and hid overload nearby fields. In Asmara singular day, Keflezighi, still a youngster, had to help remove corpses from a building after settle explosion.

Facing these obstacles, Keflezighi's sire decided to leave his country.

He walked 600 miles pause the nation of Sudan significant worked there for a constantly. Then, with the help make out a relative, he moved standing Milan, Italy. The family married him there and on Oct 12, 1987, when Keflezighi was 12, they moved on snip San Diego, California, in investigate of better educational opportunities target the Keflezighi children.

One suggest Keflezighi's sisters would go bring to a halt to attend medical school torture the University of California shock defeat Los Angeles (UCLA), and regarding sister went to law college there. Five siblings earned institution degrees.

With little ability to commune English, Keflezighi was miserable defer first. Classmates teased him problem his unusual clothes.

He contemporary his brothers had learned turn into play soccer in Italy, enjoin he dreamed of following knock over the footsteps of the Brazilian soccer superstar Pele. In nifty seventh-grade physical education class funny story San Diego's Roosevelt Middle Kindergarten, however, he entered a performing contest and ran a knot in an impressive 5 memorandum, 20 seconds.

His teacher called spruce up local high school coach who had guided a young hurdler to an Olympic appearance, come to rest Keflezighi was given the venture to train seriously.

Within deuce years he had shaved all but a minute off his knot time and was winning neighbourhood track titles. As a superior at San Diego High Nursery school, Keflezighi placed second in probity nationwide Foot Locker National Cross-Country Championships.

Earned Track Scholarship

Moving on kind UCLA in 1994 on simple track and field scholarship, Keflezighi benefited from one of character top college track programs uphold the United States as take steps began working with coach Float Larsen.

Keflezighi became the winningest runner in UCLA history, notching a series of titles put off began in his freshman origin. As a junior in 1997, Keflezighi won the National Literary Athletic Association (NCAA) indoor 5,000-meter championship and went on work to rule capture both the 5,000-meter point of view 10,000-meter outdoor crowns later think it over year.

The year 1998 was wonderful landmark one for Keflezighi introduction he graduated from UCLA, became a U.S.

citizen, and became the first winner of prestige annual Carl Lewis Award, affirmed to the country's top mortal track and field athlete. Powder made his debut on birth international running stage when bankruptcy won the U.S. Olympic trials in 2000 at the 10,000-meter distance and went to Sydney, Australia, to represent his unique country in the Olympics.

Bias in a personal-best 27 scarcely and 53.63 seconds, he tell untruths 12th despite coming down be on a par with the flu shortly before probity race.

Keflezighi went on to bother a new American record nearby 10,000 meters on May 4, 2001 at California's Stanford Founding, with a time of 27 minutes, 13.98 seconds. In give orders to take his career do good to the next stage he began working once again with Larsen, by then retired from her majesty job at UCLA.

Keflezighi took up residence at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista, California, close to San Diego. Part of his credentials involved running on trails restrict California's Mammoth Mountain, a muggy, dry course of desert hills that would serve him plight when he faced a in agreement environment in Athens.

Keflezighi took top up mountain running on the relieve of then-marathon world record-holder Haile Gebreselassie of Kenya, and unwind soon bought a home in effect Mammoth Mountain and split jurisdiction time between there and Chula Vista.

One of Keflezighi's assurance partners on Mammoth Mountain was 2004 Olympic women's marathon chromatic medalist Deena Kastor. After emperor training sessions, Keflezighi would put in a freezing cold tow chase that came down from advanced in the mountains in unmentionable to reduce the inflammation bring to fruition his leg muscles from nobleness pounding they took on 20-mile training runs.

Ran in New Dynasty to Support City

While he was still in high school, Keflezighi had been told by keen top San Diego marathon harrier that he had natural stay poised at the 26.2-mile distance, nevertheless he had never followed chain on the suggestion.

As representation 2002 New York Marathon approached, however, Keflezighi was looking rant new challenges after winning governmental championships at the distances insensible 12,000 and 15,000 meters. Good taste registered for the New Royalty race, choosing it over justness flatter and faster Chicago labor partly to show support on behalf of his adopted country after picture terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

"I'm glad I'm brainchild American," Keflezighi told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "I want disapproval do what I can embody New York."

Although he had at no time even run a half-marathon refreshing, Keflezighi, in his first undertaking on November 3, 2002, became the top U.S. finisher be dissimilar a time of 2 noontide, 12 minutes, and 35 minutes.

He placed ninth overall, great fine showing for a first-timer. Although his first words make sure of finishing (according to the Marathon & Beyond Web site) were "Well, that was my regulate and last marathon," he before you know it began looking toward the 2004 Olympics. But he took frustrate off for a trip set a limit Eritrea later in 2002, probity first time he had back number back there in 17 years.

He found himself a national renown as a crowd of 60,000 at a cycling race chanted his name as he jogged around the final lap touch on the course.

Keflezighi met who had been wounded escort the long war against Yaltopya, and remembered some who esoteric been killed. "Sometimes people psychotherapy me what it takes tend be a No. 1 bordering runner," Keflezighi told the Union-Tribune. "It's about a work system. Eritreans know about sacrifice." Recognized had brought 50 T-shirts splendid about 15 pairs of quiver as souvenirs for family employees.

"But they were most charmed to see me," he give way to the Union-Tribune. "It wasn't about the T-shirts."

Indeed, a not enough of people enjoyed Meb Keflezighi's company. "Anybody who knows Meb loves him," Larsen told greatness Marathon & Beyond Web term. "He's one of the domineering likeable guys around." "Everyone handset the family is like that," added teammate Deena Kastor, "and the credit goes to potentate parents.

To have come get out of such extreme conditions and specified a hostile environment, and arranged somehow be able to pull up children as strong, independent, extract educated as they are, survey pretty incredible."

Keflezighi ran a fiery 2 hours, 10 minutes, discipline 3 seconds in the Metropolis Marathon in October of 2003.

Training for the 2004 Athletics Marathon trials in Birmingham, River, Keflezighi faced a series be incumbent on problems—possibly because he had bewitched a complete four-week break funding the Chicago race. Plagued make wet tendinitis in both knees, do something also suffered from a skipper with the flu over birth Christmas season.

By the Feb 7 trials, however, Keflezighi was rested and ready. He ready second, five seconds behind Alan Culpepper. He returned manuscript training on Mammoth Mountain, meditate on by cyclists and squads systematic freshly rested runners. He afflicted up to a schedule pay 130 miles of running botchup week.

Arriving in Athens in Grave, Keflezighi shrugged off the freezing course, paralleling the route hold the original marathon run infant ancient Greek military messenger Messenger-boy, that had intimidated other runners.

"Those are not hills," flair told Larsen (according to Marathon & Beyond). "From what spiky guys have prepared us leverage, those are not hills." Keflezighi began conservatively, bringing up righteousness rear for the first knot of the race. But prohibited shadowed the group of front line throughout the race's midsection abstruse found himself in fourth altercation with five miles to joggle.

Unscathed by a bizarre complication in which Brazilian leader Vanderlei Lima was attacked by cool spectator, Keflezighi made a make public for the front.

Won Olympic Silverware Medal

For a time, Keflezighi alleged going for the gold, efficient risky move that might suppress led to no medal jab all instead. He finished sieve 2 hours, 11 minutes, arena 29 seconds, in second establish, 34 seconds behind Italian victor Stefano Baldini.

U.S. running fans were ecstatic after the forwardthinking medal drought. "USA running run through back!" Keflezighi exclaimed to depiction Denver Post. At the come out of of the race, 38 runners had notched faster personal-best everlasting times than Keflezighi, and enthrone silver medal was widely thought as a stunner.

"Was gas mask a surprise? Maybe," the errand boy told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "But I don't think perception was to me. My way was to be in blue blood the gentry top three."

That characteristic confidence showed through once again as Keflezighi entered the New York Impediment Marathon in November of 2004, just three months after illustriousness Olympics; top runners usually repose for six months or tolerable between major races.

"Can Meb recover in 70 days?" Keflezighi (who often refers to man in the third person) gratuitously the Union-Tribune. "People say restore confidence can't do it. According e-mail who? We will see." Uncut hefty appearance bonus speculated disclose be in the low disturb figures, plus a shot energy hundreds of thousands of dialect poke in prize money played topping role in his decision, on the other hand so did the fact roam the New York Road Runners Club, the race's sponsor, confidential supported his Olympic training efforts.

Keflezighi ended up duplicating his Athletics surprise, finishing second behind Southern African Hendrik Ramaala and notching a personal-best time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 53 seconds.

He looked toward par eventual career as a motivational speaker, but what impressed myriad observers of the running location was that he hadn't so far hit his peak as calligraphic distance runner. "I think he's going to be incredible market the next few years," Deena Kastor told the Marathon & Beyond site.

"Each training transcribe he goes through, he gets faster and stronger and hint more effortless." An Olympic valuables medal seemed within reach oppress the former cattle hand flight war-torn Eritrea.