Meb Keflezighi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men's Athletics | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympics | |||
| Silver | 2004 Athens | Marathon | |
Mebrahtom ("Meb") Keflezighi (Ge'ez: መብራህቶም ክፍልእዝጊ mebrāhtōm kifl'igzī, Tigrinya "their lamp, part of the Lord";) born May 5, 1975 in Asmara, Eritrea) is an American athlete specializing in long distance running, especially marathons. He and his family were refugees from Eritrea via Italy to United States. He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1998, the same year in which he graduated from UCLA. While at UCLA Meb received numerous all American awards and other accolades.
In the 2004 Summer Olympics, Meb finished second in the men's marathon, winning a silver medal in a personal season's best time of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 29 seconds. Keflezighi finished 42 seconds ahead of Brazilian Vanderlei de Lima, who was leading the marathon until he was pushed off the course by protester Cornelius Horan. This was the first medal won by an American man in the Olympic marathon since Frank Shorter won the gold in the 1972 Olympics and took the silver medal in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
His fastest times for some standard distances are 3:42.29 for 1,500 meters, set in 1998; 13:11.77 for 5,000 meters, set in 2000; 27:13.98 for 10,000 meters, set in 2001 (a still-standing American record); and 2:09:53 for the marathon, set in 2004 at the New York City Marathon, where he finished second.
Keflezighi trains in Mammoth Lakes, California during the summer and in San Diego during the winter. He attended San Diego High School where he excelled from his freshman year onward. He and his brothers won numerous state championships from 1991 to 1994. Meb won in both the 1600 and the 3200 meter races.
[edit] External links
- Meb Keflezighi's Official Website: Meb Keflezighi
- USA Track and Field: Mebrahtom Keflezighi
- Runner's World: Meb Keflezighi - Runner's World
- Ultimate Guide to Boston Marathon: Meb Keflezighi prepares to run first Boston Marathon
- Vyuz San Diego: San Diego marathoner aims for win in Boston
- Featured in Documentary: ShowdownRace.com
- Meb Keflezighi's U.S. Olympic Team bio
[edit] Audio Interviews
- Meb Keflezighi: Pre-Olympic Trials Podcast Interview
- TheFinalSprint.com interview with Olympic medalist & running hero Meb Keflezighi
