http://www.africa.com/blog/blog,the_2012_olympics_from_eritreaa_legend_and_a_newcomer,748.html
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2012
The 2012 Olympics: From Eritrea, a Legend and a Newcomer
by Dexter Padayachee, Amherst College
Long-distance and road runner Zersenay Tadese, 30, is Eritrea’s
biggest medal hopeful during this year’s Summer Olympics, after
winning the country’s first Olympic medal in 2004 at the Athens Summer
Olympics. He is also the first Eritrean to hold a World Championship
title after winning the 2006 IAAF 20-kilmoter race. Tadese’s most
promising run is the half-marathon, which has brought him a lot of
success thus far. He is the current half-marathon world-record holder
with a time of 58:23, set in 2010 in Lisbon, Portugal. Tadese also
adds to his running profile the title of being the second man to win
three World Championship medals over three different surfaces in the
same year. He is indeed a legend in Eritrea, and is recognized
internationally as a great athlete. During this year’s London Summer
Olympics, Tadese will compete with Kenenisa Bekele for the title in
the 10,000m race.
Tadese’s career has improved tremendously since his first appearance
on the international circuit in 2002 at the World Cross Country
Championships. He currently has seven gold, three silver, and three
bronze medals to his name. The combination of Tadese and Bekele, along
with other promising African long-distance runners, could quite
possibly bring all the medals back to Africa in the 5,000m and 10,000m
events at this year’s Olympics.
Also part of the Eritrean Olympics delegation is cyclist Daniel
Teklehaymanot. He will be the first cyclist representing Eritrea at
the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Tekehaymanot has done exceedingly
well in races in Eritrea and in the African championships, becoming
one of the most dominant cyclists on the continent. The 23-year-old
shows much promise for Eritrea, as he continues to improve; he had an
impressive finish at the Tour de l’Avenir, finishing sixth overall.
According to Cycling News, he is quickly making a name for himself on
European circuits as part of the Australian team, GreenEDGE. Even
though he will be racing against more experienced cyclists,
Teklehaymanot is seemingly an athlete to look out for. His rapid
growth and fore coming merits will definitely put him in a better
position to claim a medal at the next Olympics. We remain hopeful that
Daniel Teklehaymanot will place and gain recognition from his, and his
country’s, first Olympic appearance at the 2012 London Summer Olympics
Received on Thu Jul 26 2012 - 01:16:03 EDT
