Amazing run by an amazing guy! Kirubel is a great dude. He absolutely did not get the recognition he deserved for that run. Hopefully it will wake some sponsors up!
Yes his name might not be Steve smith but who the f cares ?!? Americans should be really proud of Kirubel, there is going to be a lot more to come from him.
well truth be told wrote:
He's Ethiopian. He's American on paper.
It's nice that he's here. American dream. Blah blah blah.
The reality is that he wasn't born here, didn't grow up here, and is about as American as my television set. When you need a translator to pronounce his name, it's tough to sell him as American talent. Would we care more if Joe Smith from Omaha ran the same time? Yes, we would.
Sorry, not sorry. Just telling it like it is.
As mentioned before - I have watched him run since he was a soph in HS in GA (think he came over frosh year). Great talent who has had ups and down but keeps improving and seems to get better as the distance gets longer - did all of his running career in the US & grew up in the US - I just don't see how you can not consider him American?
Frank Lara, Conner Mantz both make bold predictions to break the American record and come up short. Meanwhile Kirubel quietly and humbly goes out and runs one of the fastest times ever for an American. Frank Lara continues to get press from Letsrun and no one questions his "Americanism' even though he was born in Mexico? No disrespect to Frank, but I just see a double standard like this a lot for foreigner born athletes. If they were born in Africa vs. a more favorable Germany, Mexico, Canada etc their nationality isn't questioned only embraced.
well truth be told wrote:
He's Ethiopian. He's American on paper.
It's nice that he's here. American dream. Blah blah blah.
The reality is that he wasn't born here, didn't grow up here, and is about as American as my television set. When you need a translator to pronounce his name, it's tough to sell him as American talent. Would we care more if Joe Smith from Omaha ran the same time? Yes, we would.
Sorry, not sorry. Just telling it like it is.
Raced against him in hs in Georgia for 3 years( he is a year above me in grade). I remember him getting outleaned at a region 3200m and not qualifying for state only to come back and win the 1600 and XC going to footlocker the next year. He is an american. Essentially his running comeup has been here in america. He is as american as Christopher Columbus and the rest of us