Somalia’s runners provide inspiration

[croflash]

By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports

BEIJING – Samia Yusuf Omar headed back to Somalia Sunday, returning to the small two-room house in Mogadishu shared by seven family members. Her mother lives there, selling fruits and vegetables. Her father is buried there, the victim of a wayward artillery shell that hit their home and also killed Samia’s aunt and uncle.

This is the Olympic story we never heard.

It’s about a girl whose Beijing moment lasted a mere 32 seconds – the slowest 200-meter dash time out of the 46 women who competed in the event. Thirty-two seconds that almost nobody saw but that she carries home with her, swelled with joy and wonderment. Back to a decades-long civil war that has flattened much of her city. Back to an Olympic program with few Olympians and no facilities. Back to meals of flat bread, wheat porridge and tap water.

“I have my pride,” she said through a translator before leaving China. “This is the highest thing any athlete can hope for. It has been a very happy experience for me. I am proud to bring the Somali flag to fly with all of these countries, and to stand with the best athletes in the world.”

More at http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijin ... &type=lgns


Amazing story that went almost unnoticed.

[cacique]

hey croflash, i saw that heat, and i cringed when i thought about people on this board bitching about the sprinters from laos and cook islands in the men's 100 heats. thanks for posting this. the olympics are not just for pampered athletes from rich countries with modern and expensive facilities, best training and equipment that money can buy,/

[Kevin Richardson]

Not meaning to stir up anything here, and I love a good feel-good, inspirational story. But, if the Olympics are not meant to epitomize the best of what each sport has to offer, then why do they have minimum qualification standards? I agree that her story is a compelling one, but I am not really sure she should have been in the heats, taking the spot of another athlete of higher caliber, and quite possibly, an equally compelling story.

[cacique]

she -- like many representatives of small, poor nations -- are chosen as the only representative (often, one male, one female) to participate. it's not like somalia got to enter a woman in pole vault or the marathon, or whatever. she was probably the best they can come up with right now, and it was just one event. why would you begrudge them that?

[26mi235]

Not meaning to stir up anything here, and I love a good feel-good, inspirational story. But, if the Olympics are not meant to epitomize the best of what each sport has to offer, then why do they have minimum qualification standards? I agree that her story is a compelling one, but I am not really sure she should have been in the heats, taking the spot of another athlete of higher caliber, and quite possibly, an equally compelling story.

She did not take someone's spot as you had to have at least the "B" or an "A" and be selected by your country. The additional slots for the 1/country athletes are spread around some, but usually show up in the sprints, as natural ability and not coaching can get you to an ok level, even if not anywhere near fast by OG standards. 13 is faster than I can run.

[Paul Henry]

I dont want to come off like a jerk, but I think there should be one ceremonal race with all the charity cases running for the human cause and allow those additional spaces as a bye for the defending champs in the real real races why subject these persons to compete with persons runing snail yimes it defeats the purpose of trials to expose the bests to the world. Afterall its Higher, Stronger, Faster. Not Care bears count down. You can all come and kill me now but I know that's what alot of feel in your hearts.

Plus nobody commends the IAAF for this approach anyway people are more inclined to chide them for past doping in the sport and not positives like these, so just do away with this "I'm for caring jive". I dont see the less capable athletes getting byes for many other olympic sports.

[cacique]

but the point is participation/representation. so somalia and laos and timor-leste and bolivia each get to send an athlete or two for the competition -- so what? as i said, why would you begrudge them that? should smaller nations wait 50 years or more in between participating in the olympics, or never participate at all?

[Paul Henry]

but the point is participation/representation. so somalia and laos and timor-leste and bolivia each get to send an athlete or two for the competition -- so what? as i said, why would you begrudge them that? should smaller nations wait 50 years or more in between participating in the olympics, or never participate at all?

I am not against them participating. Just against Below capable people competting with elite athletes and serious competitors. Notice as I said just let them compete on their level in one race of ceremonial interest.

[26mi235]

I dont want to come off like a jerk, but I think there should be one ceremonal race with all the charity cases running for the human cause and allow those additional spaces as a bye for the defending champs in the real real races why subject these persons to compete with persons runing snail yimes it defeats the purpose of trials to expose the bests to the world. Afterall its Higher, Stronger, Faster. Not Care bears count down. You can all come and kill me now but I know that's what alot of feel in your hearts.

Plus nobody commends the IAAF for this approach anyway people are more inclined to chide them for past doping in the sport and not positives like these, so just do away with this "I'm for caring jive". I dont see the less capable athletes getting byes for many other olympic sports.

I know you do not want to come off as a jerk, but who ever proposes this is going to look like a jerk whether he/she is or isn't. Also, remember that these countries outnumber US/Jam/Ken/Rus/GBr/Fr/Eth/Can/Qat/ Chi/Swe/Ger/Bel/ by a large number even though the number of medals in aggregate is well below.

[croflash]

It's also important for those countries to have someone who can call himself an Olympian, you have to start somewhere. It might inspire kids in the home countries to do sports and the goal has to be to make T&F a global sport, basically make it popular in as many countries as possible. Those championships are the only stage for these athletes to present themselves to the world, no meet is ever going to invite them.

Maybe at some point we will have a worldclass athlete from Somalia who will refer to Samia Yusuf Omar as an inspiration.

[Kevin Richardson]

I understand the sentiment about being able to claim an Olympian, but does that not tarnish the improtance of that title? In the sprints, there are a limited number of lanes available, and based on this individual's performance it is highly doubtful that she ever attained even the B standard.

I am not the jerk that I am sounding like, here. I just believe that these Games should be demonstrations of the best in the world.

I would agree with permiting those of lesser talents the opportunity to participate in separate heats, and should their times be sufficient, allow them to compete in the next round.

The Olympics should remain a preeminent display of the World's best. Just my opinion.......