From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Thu Jun 25 2009 - 12:01:44 EDT
Track and field notebook: Asmerom still running down Olympic dream
By Jeff Faraudo, ContraCostaTimes.com
Staff writer
Posted: 06/24/2009 07:46:05 PM PDT
FOR BOLOTA ASMEROM, who moved to the Bay Area 20 years ago to escape the
violence of war in his homeland of Eritrea, disappointment is relative.
Still, for a serious distance runner, few things are more disheartening
than barely missing out on the Olympic Games.
Asmerom ran at the 2000 Sydney Games, representing Eritrea, the tiny
country in northeast Africa that borders Ethiopia. But he was just 20 at
the time, still a student at Cal, and not old enough fully to appreciate
the experience.
He became a U.S. citizen shortly thereafter, and in 2004 and again in
'08 came up just short of returning to the Olympics.
But Asmerom, who will compete at the USA Track and Field Outdoor
Nationals this week at Eugene, Ore., will not give up on his ambitions.
A top-three spot in Friday night's 5,000-meter final could earn him a
chance to run at the IAAF World Championships later this summer in
Berlin. "It's no Olympics," the Oakland resident said, "but it will do."
Asmerom finished third in the 5,000 at the U.S. trials in '04 but didn't
have the Olympic "A" time standard necessary for a berth at the Athens
Games. The rules at the time prevented him from chasing a qualifying
mark after the trials, so his bid was done.
"I'm fit, I'm ready and to be denied the most important event ... I felt
like I rightly earned it. Emotionally, it destroyed me for three years,"
Asmerom said.
Back for another shot at the trials last summer, Asmerom was the leader
for much of the race before disaster struck. Jockeying for position
while coming out of the final turn, he was bumped off the track, lost
his rhythm and wound up in fourth place.
He says failing to make the Olympic team last year was more painful
financially because he did not have guaranteed sponsorship. But he's 30
now, and better able to let disappointment run off his shoulders.
Determined not to waste his fitness, Asmerom entered the New York City
Marathon last November - his first 26.2-mile race - and finished in 2
hours, 16 minutes. With better marathon-specific preparation, he's
convinced he can run 2:10 or so.
Still, Asmerom isn't ready to give up on his track career.
Noting that his patience and aerobic strength both are better, he thinks
he may be a late bloomer. He no longer enters a race with a rigid game
plan but takes things one lap at a time, giving him the capacity to
adjust.
"Before, you're like a little kid in front of a birthday cake, trying to
take a big bite out of it. That's how I looked at racing before. I'd go
right after it from the gun," Asmerom explained. "Now I try to stay in
the moment. I'm not a machine. I have to go out there and feel it."
Coming off a month of high-altitude training in Flagstaff, Ariz.,
Asmerom arrives at this week's meet with the ninth-fastest time in the
field but picked fourth by Track and Field News. He'll have to chop 10
seconds off his entry mark of 13:29.75 to achieve the Berlin "A"
standard, but believes the race could produce a sufficient pace.
"I'm ready," he said. "The Olympics is just another track meet, and so
is the World Championships. At the same time, I'm trying to go out there
and redeem myself."
FAST JUNIORS: The USA Junior Nationals will run concurrently with the
senior meet at Eugene, the top two finishers in each event earning spots
at the Pan American Junior Championships, July 31-Aug. 2 at Port of
Spain, Trinidad.
East Bay athletes in the mix include Amber Purvis, who just completed
her freshman season at Oregon, and is seeded first in the 200 meters,
second in the 100. Half-sisters Ashton Purvis (100/200) of St. Elizabeth
High and Julian Purvis (100 hurdles), a sophomore at Michigan, also are
in the mix.
Logan High's Ciarra Brewer is seeded first in the triple jump, and
Moreau's Alitta Boyd is second in both the long and triple jumps.
Sebastian Sam, who just completed his freshman season at Cal, is No. 1
in the 800.
TV SCHEDULE: The USA meet will be televised on Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.
on ESPN, Saturday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on ESPN, and Sunday from 1 to 3
p.m. on NBC. Those broadcasts will be complemented by live Webcast
coverage of all junior national events and select open events on
Flotrack.org.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/sports/ci_12683726?source=rss
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