"Gebrselassie"

“Gebrselassie at the line in 26:22.77, a new world record for the 10,000 meters!." Haile Gebreselassie is widely regarded as the world’s greatest distance runner of all time. With 24 road, and track world records set in his career, a few athletes match his achievements. Watching Gerbselassie cross the finish line at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics, with a final 200 meters of 24 seconds after a sustained run for 25 laps was truly amazing. Haile Gebrselassie is my hero and sports keep me in close contact with students just like me.

I started out playing soccer back in Africa at a young age. After moving to the United States at the age of 13, the middle school I attended did not have soccer. My only options were track and field and cross country.

I started track and cross country my 7th grade year. I was one of the slowest kids on the team that year. It was my first season of running. I did not qualify for the Metro championships. My 8th grade cross country seasons was different though, I actually won the Metro Middle School Championships. The hard work during my 7th grade summer paid off. It was amazing to run 3 minutes quicker than I did the year before. La vista Junior High won the championships as a team that year and repeated the win track. During 7th and 8th grade track seasons, I only lost 2 individual races out of 5 races. My 8th grade summer I ran for the Cornhusker flyers Track Club. That summer I ran the fastest times in the state in my age group. At the Regional Championships, my 4x800 meter team placed second to make it to the U.S.A youth Track and Field Championships held in Baltimore, Maryland. We ended up placing 15th out of 24 teams.

Running is my favorite sport. I made lots of great friends and gone to places I wouldn’t have gone. But why run? Running all comes down to competition, self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement “A race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many was they’re capable of understanding.” Runners connect in a level that is unique.