Tonight a Somali running for the US on the 10.000m

[W.D.]

you better watch!!! :mad:

 

this dude got an actual chance of winning a medal. He sued to run the New York marathons and shit.

[Rahima]

Personally i feel like who cares anyway, the guy is running for the US.

 

It would be a different story if he was running for his homeland, but as far as i'm concerned he sold himself anyway.

[Jumatatu]

Originally posted by Rahima:

It would be a different story if he was running for his homeland, but as far as i'm concerned he sold himself anyway.

What is your current Nationality Rahima and where do u live?

[W.D.]

Rahima that was a very ackward remark for real. Sold himself away for playing for a country where he lived since his youth.

 

He came this far with the training, food and opportunities he got in the US. Sure we all don't like the US, but in islam you have to respect the country that you live in and even fifht for it when they are being attacked.

 

Better go to your room and think over what you just said girl!

 

the source

 

US Runner Abdirahman Eyes Gold in 10,000 Meters Race

Parke Brewer

Athens

19 Aug 2004, 12:35 UTC

 

 

 

 

Abdi Abdirahman

(USOC photo)

Runners Haile Gebrselassie of Ethiopia and Paul Tergat of Kenya have finished one-two in the 10,000 meters at the last two Olympics. No American has finished in the top five of the event since Frank Shorter finished fifth at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

American 10,000-meter runner Abdi Abdirahman was born in Somalia in 1977. His father, Mahamed, was employed as a petroleum engineer by Conoco, an American oil company. When the civil war in the country started to get worse, Conoco decided to get its employees out of Somalia.

 

So in 1989 at the age of 12, Abdirahman and his family came to the United States. He said it was a culture shock.

 

"It was the same as for everyone from a third world country who comes to the U.S. Everything was different - all of the big grocery shops, the roads were kind of different, the lifestyle, everything. I was shocked. It was culture shock," he said.

 

Abdi and his family settled in Tucson, Arizona, where he learned English and later graduated from high school. He had played soccer (football) in high school and joined the team at Pima Community College in Tucson, but he did not see much playing time. At the encouragement of a friend and his soccer coach, he turned his efforts to running.

 

Amazingly, in the first five mile run he took with the track team, only the best runner on the team was able to beat him. He went on to run for the University of Arizona, and he graduated from there in 2000 with a degree in retail consumer studies. Earlier that year, he got his U.S. citizenship and that enabled him to compete for the United States at the Sydney Olympics. There he finished 10th in the 10,000 meters.

 

While he knows he's not a favorite for a medal here in Athens, the 27-year-old Abdirahman says he won't hold anything back.

 

"I'll make sure I run smart, I'll run tough and I'll make sure when I leave the track I don't leave anything [any energy] on the track," he said. "When I leave that track I don't want to have any regrets and say, 'Oh, I should have done this, I should have done that.' I want to do everything that I can do."

 

Abdi Abdirahman knows that anything can happen at the Olympics. He points out the achievement of native American Billy Mills who shocked the world in winning the 10,000 meter Olympic gold medal in 1964, running a time 46 seconds faster than his previous best. Abdi has a videotape of that race with him at the Athletes Village.

 

"It's one of my favorite tapes. Every night in a routine before a race I watch that tape all the time," he said.

 

Abdirahman would like nothing better than to win a medal for the United States.

 

"America has done a lot for me. They paid for my education, my training, everything. So if I win a medal it's a way for me to say thank you to the country and the people who supported me," he said.

 

His mother, brother, and sister are here at the Olympics to support him and watch him run the 10,000 meters Friday night, 1950 UTC.

 

And he also will get support from those athletes from his native Somalia.

 

"I did meet a couple Somali athletes and their leaders. I talked to them. They support me and what I do," he said. "They're happy for me that I'm running for the U.S. and they say they don't have any 10,000 meter runners in their country, but they're going to come support me because I'm Somalian, so they're going go come support me, they say, Friday night."

 

Abdi Abdirahman says his training has been his best ever, and he believes he's peaking at the right time.

 

 

Rahima, a person needs to think before they speak. :cool:

 

You can go rent a movie, while I'm cheering for my Somali brother!

[Jumatatu]

Originally posted by Waryaa Dude:

He came this far with the training, food and opportunities he got in the US. Sure we all don't like the US, but in islam you have to respect the country that you live in and even fifht for it when they are being attacked.

I accept with the best intention that I agree with my great friend Warya in this matter. You could have not said it more better sxb.

[W.D.]

well, I could Jumatatu, I missspelled fight!

 

nah just kidding man, thnx bro!

[Nomen nescio]

yeah i posted this on the olympics thread, but anyhow, that ethiopian guy has an injury to his leg so its either abdi abdirahman or tegart from kenya. mostly likely tegart,

[dawoco]

Before you guys attack Rahiima, i can actually see where she is coming from....

But i wouldn't blame him for using any oppertunity to get ahead in life, as long as he remembers his diin i suppose all is right.

[nuune]

^^^^ dawaco, that is right, afkeygaad ka xaday, nobody is saying he would NOT run for USA, xoogaa wadaninimo lee na qabatay ma ogiyee maba u diideeno inuu wadan kale u ciyaaro.

 

and there is another somali dude who is running for QATAR

[Qac Qaac]

any country but the u.s.

[Rahima]

What is your current Nationality Rahima and where do u live?

Australia, not that it is relevant.

 

It is one thing to live somewhere (for you don’t have much of a choice) and a totally different thing to take it too far by representing your “adopted†country on the world stage.

 

Coming here was not my choice (as probably is the case for him also), but representing the US was his choice, and in that is my objection.

 

And anyway, like QQ said, at least if not Somalia, then why the US? How quickly we forget history, history that has yet to end! At least make it a Muslim nation.

 

Better go to your room and think over what you just said girl!

*In the hope that it was a light hearted comment*

 

I have , and still I’m not liking it brother.

[Som@li]

i don't give a damm if he wins or not ,

 

Abdi Bile had a US citizenship,but proudly repesented his motherland.

[Alle-ubaahne]

To: Rahima

 

Thank you very much sister, I can really sense your genuine somali blood that I strongly share with. I personally live in the U.S. and that doesn't mean I am an American in nature. Whatever Abdirahman wins, its an obvious reality that he is not representing us or somalia. Since our nationhood has collapsed fourteen years ago, we've seen thousands of traders to their country, who put somalia under the cheapest selling tag. And that is tragic enough. Again, I appreciate to read from Rahima's position.

 

For the Rest of You:

 

I would to say, please don't mistake your naturalized or adopted country to where you originated as a true citizen of no fabrications whatsoever.

[Saalixa]

Rahima, if only everyone thought like you the world would be a better place

[Jumatatu]

Originally posted by Rahima:

Coming here was not my choice (as probably is the case for him also), but representing the US was his choice, and in that is my objection.

Exactly....! Now that we agree that it was not his choice to go there, like yours, then lets appreciate the man had to work. Now he could have been anything from a postman to astronout, but he chose athletics. For him to represent the country that gave him oppurtunity as opposed to the one that bitterly destroyed his hope is not comparable.

It is easy for us to say the word Muslim country......assuming u mean Somalia muslim country ..give me a break