From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Wed Nov 04 2009 - 18:52:46 EST
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/brian_cazeneuve/11/04/marathon/
Posted:
Wednesday November 4, 2009 3:40PM; Updated: Wednesday November 4, 2009
4:10PM
Enough with the Keflezighi bashing
*Brian Cazeneuve*
As Meb Keflezighi raced his final meters of the New York City Marathon on
Sunday, he pointed to the USA singlet he chose to wear for the race. He did
not point to a company logo; he pointed to the place he calls home. After
breaking the tape, he crossed himself and sprawled on the pavement to kiss
the ground that propelled him. This was a celebration-in-waiting. The
gentleman runner had become the first U.S. athlete to win the country's most
celebrated distance race since 1982.
However, over the next few days, people started whispering about
Keflezighi's claim to his country. Keflezighi was born in Eritrea and how
were people supposed to identify with or believe in his patriotic gesture?
Darren Rovell penned an article on CNBC.com entitled "Marathon"s Headline
Win Is Empty." In the story, Rovell wrote, "Unfortunately, it's not as good
as it sounds ... the fact that he's not American-born takes away from the
magnitude of the achievement the headline implies ... Nothing against
Keflezighi, but he's like a ringer you hire to work a couple hours at your
office so that you can win the executive softball league."
The comment smacked of the remarks people made about sprinters Jesse Owens
and Ralph Metcalfe being "auxiliaries" simply because they were black. These
are increasing divisive times. It is fashionable in some circles to be
insular and exclusionary in the name of being patriotic. Somehow people in
our nation of immigrants buy into it, whether driven by fear, ignorance or
latent racism.
To his credit, Rovell later wrote what we'll call a clarification in which
he apologized for not understanding Keflezighi's history. He was not alone.
On Monday, The New York Times ran an article that did not advocate a
position and was entitled, "To Some, Winner Is Not American Enough." It
referenced unnamed remarks, including one from a running website that read,
"Give us a break. It's just another African marathon winner."
I'm going to give Rovell the benefit of the doubt that his piece had no
racist intentions. He explained that he meant to question the legitimacy of
athletes who made themselves into geopolitical free agents, those reared by
another sports system in another country earning honors for the U.S., sort
of like the trove of Kenyans who run for Bahrain because the oil-rich
country paid them to swap citizenship. He did not understand at the time
that Keflezighi did not fall into that category.
In Good Company
Eritrean-born Meb Keflezighi is one of many U.S. athletes and influential
running figures who were born outside the country. Here is a list of several
others. (Birthplace in parentheses)
Bernard Lagat (Kenya) In 2007, he won the 1,500 and 5,000 at the world
championships in Osaka, Japan. The double was one of the most impressive
feats ever achieved by a U.S. runner at an international competition. Lagat
is married to a Canadian citizen of Chinese heritage.
Frank Shorter (former West Germany) The last U.S. male to win the marathon
at the Olympics.
Alberto Salazar (Cuba) Before Keflezighi's victory on Sunday, Salazar was
the last U.S. man to win the NYC Marathon. He's the country's premier
distance running coach.
Miki Gorman (China) The last U.S. woman to win the NYC Marathon and the only
woman to win both the NY and Boston marathons twice.
Mark Plaatjes (S. Africa) The only U.S. runner ever to win the marathon at
the world championships.
Abdi Abdirahman (Somalia) Represented U.S. in the 10,000 meters at the 2000,
'04 and '08 Olympics. Placed fourth at the Chicago Marathon in 2006.
Lopez Lomong (Sudan) Made 2008 Olympic team at 1,500m and was given great
honor of carrying the American flag at the Opening Ceremonies.
Magdalena Lewy-Boulet (Poland) Represented U.S. in 2008 Beijing Games
marathon. Earned U.S. citizenship on fateful morning of Sept. 11, 2001. Now
an assistant coach at UC Berkeley, where she graduated with a degree in
human biodynamics.
Khalid Khannouchi (Morocco) The last U.S. runner to hold the world-best
time for the marathon (2:05:38), a mark set from 2002 and held for 17
months.
Sydney Maree (S. Africa) In 1983, he broke world record in the 1,500m. Five
years later, he represented U.S. at the Seoul Olympics in the 5,000m --
finishing fifth.
Colleen De Reuck (South Africa) Won U.S. Olympic marathon trials in '04 at
age 40. Set world-best times earlier in career for both 10 miles and 20
kilometers.
Fred Lebow (Romania) Founder of the NYC Marathon was honored with a statue
in Central Park.
The phrase "American dream" may be kicked around with casual carelessness,
but in fact, from his family's journey to the States to his academic,
professional and athletic successes, Keflezighi's story is profoundly
American. It should be enough to say that Mebrahtom Keflezighi came to the
States as a 12-year old and ran his first formal race as a San Diego
schoolboy, but his entire tale merits revisiting.
Keflezighi had never seen a car until one pulled up next to him when he was
10 in his village of Adi Beyani and he tried to race it. During the county's
30-year war for independence from Ethiopia, soldiers would search for boys
aged 12 and older to conscript into the military. Those who refused or tried
to run were shot.
The Keflezighis had an elaborate escape route through a backdoor for Fitsum
and Aklilu, Meb's older brothers, once they reached the age of conscription.
The Keflezighis were among the few families in the village whose house had a
metal roof. They still lacked electricity and would tell time by sticking a
rock in the sand and waiting for the shadow it cast to pass a certain point.
Russom, the family patriarch, was an open supporter of liberation forces,
and therefore a target of militia. Police constantly threatened him as he
tried to manage his grocery store in Asmara, the capital city. In 1981, he
fled to Sudan by walking 600 miles in the dead of night. He slept during the
days, drained swamp water through his clothes in order to drink, and carried
only a flashlight he could shine in the faces of hyenas who might want to
eat him.
It took the Keflezighis five years until they saw their father, who
eventually brought the family to San Diego to live with his half-sister. The
students there at Roosevelt Junior High teased Meb because of his old
clothes and quiet demeanor. That is until he won a mile race in five
minutes, 20 seconds. "That was the first time other kids showed me respect,"
he said.
Yes, the talent was there, but the formal running training hadn't yet begun.
Even when Meb started progressing through the high school ranks, Russom
stuck to his edict about education coming before sports, often waking his
children at 4 a.m. to study an English book with them. "Education is
something nobody can take away from you," Russom would tell his kids. They
all listened. Consider the rundown of what the Keflezighis have done,
without English as the family's first tongue.
Meb's oldest sibling, his half sister, Ruth Donahue, is a manager at Home
Depot. His oldest brother, Fitsum, was taking English as a second language
one year and earned the top academic award at Roosevelt Jr. High a year
later. He earned an electrical engineering degree at UC Santa Barbarba and
is now a project manager National Semiconductor in Silicon Valley. The next
brother, Akiliu, was a double major at UCSB in economics and political
science and has an MBA from the Monterrey Institute of International
business. Meb graduated high school with a 3.95 GPA and was a communication
studies major at UCLA while winning several national titles in distance
running for the Bruins. His coach, Bob Larson, recalls chastising Meb for
yawning before a race at the Pac-10 Championships because he had been up all
night writing papers. Meb won the race anyway.
Next sister, Bahghi, finished med school at UCLA and is now doing nonprofit
work as a doctor for underprivileged communities. Merhawi, a younger
brother, graduated UCLA with a law degree and serves as an agent for several
runners, including Meb. Another brother, Bemnet, graduated from UC Santa
Cruz with a degree in business management and is now taking courses to be a
CPA in San Diego. Adhanet graduated from Stanford this year with a degree in
economics. Younger sister Fnann is the vice president of the black student
union at UC San Diego, where she is a junior and resident adviser. Youngest
sister Zaida is a freshman at Cal-Berkeley. Youngest brother, Admekom, is a
high school sophomore.
Meb once remarked that he might be the least accomplished member of his
family. He said it about an hour after he won the Olympic silver medal in
the marathon at the 2004 Olympics in Athens. He speaks passionately, even in
private, about his gratitude for the chance he and his family have been
given to succeed here.
I once told him that a similarly grateful man whom I knew well surmised that
those who had to work to earn the privilege of their citizenship appreciated
it more than those who were born into it. I think my Argentinean-born
father, who came over to join the U.S. Army during the Second World War,
would have been proud to share Meb's colors.
Read more:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/brian_cazeneuve/11/04/marathon/#ixzz0VwCItgN2
Get a free NFL Team Jacket and Tee with SI Subscription
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----