Eritrea’s Ghirmay Ghebreslassie won the New York City Marathon, among
the world’s pre-eminent long-distance annual running events, with a time
of 2 hours, 7 minutes, 51 seconds, finishing over a minute ahead of
Kenya's Lucas Rotich, who took second place, and Somali-born American
Abdi Abdirahman, who finished third. Although it was only his race debut
and though confronted by challenging, windy conditions, Ghirmay’s time
qualified him as the third-fastest runner in the marathon's 46-year
history. The 20-year-old Eritrean also made history as the race’s
youngest-ever male winner, breaking the record previously held by
Alberto Salazar (1980), Tom Fleming (1973), and Sheldon Karlin (1972),
who all won as 22-year-olds.
Founded by Fred Lebow, the New York City Marathon was first held in 1970
with 127 competitors running loops around Central Park, a city
attraction. From those humble beginnings, the annual race has grown to
become the world’s largest marathon; this year’s edition saw more than
50,000 people from 120 countries participate in the race across the five
boroughs (New York City, in the US state of New York, is composed of
five boroughs: Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten
Island). Notably, hundreds of thousands of spectators were also in
attendance, while the race was followed by millions more worldwide.
Ghirmay’s impressive win on Sunday, where he was rarely threatened, was
just the latest in an extraordinary series of recent results by the
talented youngster. In 2015, he won the International Association of
Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships held in China, becoming
the youngest-ever winner, while at the recent Summer Olympics in Brazil
he finished a highly-respectable fourth place. The latter result would
surely have been even higher but for a slight, yet costly, blip he
encountered during the race.
As the precocious youngster continues to blaze a trail of success, the
question on many minds is just how far can he go? In sport, while
reaching the pinnacle is a challenging task, remaining there can often
prove to be much more difficult. Moreover, the world of sports is filled
with innumerable cases of bright, young stars that quickly shot to
prominence and success before fizzling out almost just as fast. Beyond
the obvious factors, such as physical development, improvement, and
training (and avoiding injuries, etc.), proper mindset and inner
motivation are often critical.
Consider the case of Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, the
three-time winner of the Balon d’Or as the world’s best player. The
Portuguese superstar’s success and numerous accolades are not solely due
to his considerable talent, but also the fruit of his sheer work ethic
and relentless pursuit of perfection. Countless teammates, opponents,
and analysts describe how Ronaldo today is almost unrecognizable from
the wiry, flashy, more style than substance and often frustrating,
winger who came to the world’s attention with Manchester United years
ago. Driven by a passionate desire to be “the world’s best,” the young
Ronaldo dedicated himself to constant improvement and development,
spending extra hours on the training pitch, in the gym, and at recovery
sessions. Such a dedicated approach helped transform him from a young
boy with bags of talent, yet often lacking the final product, to the
all-conquering, record-setting player that is now firmly entrenched
within discussions about the greatest ever to play the game.
In this context, Ghirmay’s modesty and laser-like focus are encouraging.
The young runner from unassuming, rural roots in the Zoba Debub region
of Eritrea who ran several miles to school every day remains hungry,
regularly speaks of achieving even greater things in the sport, and
continues to follow a strict, punishing training regimen. Remarkably (or
ominously for his competitors), many observers suggest that he is just
scratching the surface of his potential and can still improve by leaps
and bounds.
Another important aspect of Ghirmay’s rise to success is what it
represents for his nation. In 2015, Ghirmay’s win at the World
Championships in China 2015 was met with a massive nationwide
celebration and he was welcomed back to the country with a colorful,
music-filled parade in Asmara, the capital. The city’s streets were
packed for hours as people jostled to get a glimpse of the young star.
For Eritrea, a young, low-income country located within the fractious
Horn of Africa region, Ghirmay is a source of enormous inspiration and
tremendous pride, as well as a great role model for many of the
country’s impressionable youth.
After Sunday’s race, Ghirmay stated, "I am really proud with my victory
today to be the first one from my country. Nobody before from Eritrea
won in the major marathons." As Eritrea anxiously prepares to welcome
back its conquering hero, millions of adoring fans hope his recent win
is just the latest in a long, glorious career that is filled with many
more.
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