Canadian Simon Bairu embarrasses USA XC runners

jjjjjjjjjjj wrote:

The US sent a third rate team and they did well for themselves, but we should be embarrassed about not sending anything close to our best team, which would have been highly competitive with Lagat, Teg, Ritz, Rupp, Hall, Solinsky, Abdi, Meb, or the like. We have talented guys to spare and there is no other champs this year. I do not understand these guys one bit. As for Bairu, he shows just how much hard work and desire separate the African runners from the equally talented Americans and Europeans.

Logic fail.

Simon was born in Saudi Arabia, although his parents were African.

In either case he moved to Canada when he was three. Unless you are claiming that this 'desire' is the product of genetic forces, the fact that he has an African heritage is irrelevent. He lived his whole life in a modern, well developed Canadian city and would not have faced the hardships that drive many East African runners into the sport.

Simon is as dedicated as anyone, but by no means is it because his parents were born in Africa.

Bairu was running blazing fast long before he went to Wisconsin. He is an obvious talent, that wouldn't take magic to develop into the runner he is today. Also, as a Canadian, I think we sound like a bunch of knob jobs when we are bragging about our 1 senior runner represnted at World xc. But, here is the proof we are a bunch of knob jobs...we sit back and take it in the bum when Athletics Canada doesn't support our distance athletes, and wont even send our best distance runners (guys who deserve to go and could do quite well). Where is distance running in Canada going...as of now....nowhere!

Oh well atleast we get like 50 new Kenyan/Ethiopian imports on the road racing circuit. Maybe they can help us!?

Hmm...so was Canada good enough to put together a Senior men and women's team? i'm pretty sure I didn't see "Canada" on the team results page. Our junior men and women's team beat your guy's butts w/ our senior women getting a team bronze medal.

yeah you guys have Simon, but i think it's pretty embarrassing that he trains in the U.S. and not in your home country. pretty much America is making him better, not Canada.

Cana...HAHAHAHA wrote:

Hmm...so was Canada good enough to put together a Senior men and women's team? i'm pretty sure I didn't see "Canada" on the team results page. Our junior men and women's team beat your guy's butts w/ our senior women getting a team bronze medal.

yeah you guys have Simon, but i think it's pretty embarrassing that he trains in the U.S. and not in your home country. pretty much America is making him better, not Canada.

the only reason he trains in the almost bankrupt US of A is NIKE

Bairu's a former NCAA champ who's in his prime and has plenty of post-collegiate experience. The US men's team was a bunch of elite-but-not-dominant recent college graduates who are still adjusting to post-collegiate running. Bairu's more talented, older, and has had more time to figure out his shit. He SHOULD have beat them, probably by about as much as he did. The US guys ran about as expected. Bairu ran a little bit better than expected. What's all the hubub?

do all Kenyan runners come to the US to train under NIKE or do they train in their home country? mostly all elite Kenyans train in Kenyan and seem to be doing just fine training in their home country.

i agree with the poster above, our guys are still young. Smyth just graduated and is getting some experience on what its like to race on a whole new level. and dont give me this weak sauce sh*t that Simon is greater than the USA. if Ritz competed, we probably would have seen him on the medal stand while Simon would have been sitting in the stands watching. not only that, but can Simon beat Lagat? given that Lagat is from Kenya and is now a US citizen, Lagat has been training in the US for sometime now and look at what he's accomplished while doing so. is Simon greater than his OTC teammates? maybe at some events, but not all, especially not against Teg in the 5k.

runner39 wrote:

come on americano's don't cry, although Bairu is from Canada he trains with the Nike crew in Oregon so he is probably more american than us Canadians would like, you could probably adopt him, all in fun commrades

I'm not your comrade, chieftan.

captinmountyonamoose wrote:

Simon is part of Jerry's Nike group in Portland with Tegencamp, Solinsky and Jager.

Mo is a freshmen

"freshman"

at the University of Wisconsin.

Both are products of the NCAA system. Canadians excelling in the NCAA and not the CIS

Bairu beats all the American men; Ahmed does similarly in the Juniors; Emily Sisson is the first American (woman) Junior.

What do they all have in common - Wisconsin!

As for Bairu, he was always great at XC running (two NCAA XC Champs).

Mrr82 wrote:

do you think? wrote:

see this is why people think the vast majority of americans are stupid, because they make comments like this.

lagat, abdi, meb and lomong. hmmmmmm.........why would i list them for. IDIOT

While he may be an idiot, you aren't helping your own case for not being one.

He said you needed an import to beat the US, us having our own doesn't mean we need them to beat Canada. You failed on your logic there.

i was merely pointing out that its hypocritical for someone to say that they need an import to beat someone else, when clearly the majority of US distance running stars were not born in the US. thats why i listed lagat, abdi, meb and lomong.

to add to that list you have manzano, Khalid Khannouchi, mo trafeh and others.

americans are so racist when it comes to other countries but they dont even look at themselves.

do you think? wrote:

Mrr82 wrote:

While he may be an idiot, you aren't helping your own case for not being one.

He said you needed an import to beat the US, us having our own doesn't mean we need them to beat Canada. You failed on your logic there.

i was merely pointing out that its hypocritical for someone to say that they need an import to beat someone else, when clearly the majority of US distance running stars were not born in the US. thats why i listed lagat, abdi, meb and lomong.

to add to that list you have manzano, Khalid Khannouchi, mo trafeh and others.

americans are so racist when it comes to other countries but they dont even look at themselves.

Can you bigot Americans please stop calling Simon an 'Import.'

He moved here when he was 3.

Couldn't be more Canadian.

If Canada is so great, which i'm sure you think it is, then why do your best athletes, singers and movie stars come to the US to hone their trade? In fact alot of them actually move to the US and leave Canada behind? Why not just stay in good Ole Canada?

Bairu was developed at the University of Wisconsin, and still lives in the US training under Jerry? Seems to me that the US had had more influence on him than Canada.

Good job by the way Simon...Badgers MOUNT UP!

runner39 wrote:

Bairu was over a minute ahead of the first USA runner, I know Ritzenslime wasn't running but Simon would have kick his ass as well.

GO CANADA, soon we we own the USA or at the very least our dollar will be much more than yours

It hardly matters, since your frozen backwater is merely one of our many vassal states. Just be happy that we allow you the illusion of freedom.

jshgbshhsh wrote:

It hardly matters, since your frozen backwater is merely one of our many vassal states. Just be happy that we allow you the illusion of freedom.

Says the guy from his mom's basement.

jshgbshhsh wrote:

runner39 wrote:

Bairu was over a minute ahead of the first USA runner, I know Ritzenslime wasn't running but Simon would have kick his ass as well.

GO CANADA, soon we we own the USA or at the very least our dollar will be much more than yours

It hardly matters, since your frozen backwater is merely one of our many vassal states. Just be happy that we allow you the illusion of freedom.

There is a not a single vassal state of USA in the world since this country is not even to win a war in Iraq.

some of you Americans can be so narrow minded.

just because he's black doesn't mean he's "an African born import" simon was born in Saudi Arabia for starters and has been in canada since he was three! In our eyes he's as canadian as can be.

way to go simon!

Go Canada Go

I'm not your chieftan, homeboy.

F--- You, honkys!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As an American runner, I don't see the embarrassment of which you speak.

Simon Bairu is a great CANADIAN runner, and he beat the USA team fair-and-square. This is not embarrassing, it's SPORTS.

Yes, Bernard Lagat and Galen Rupp *might* have beat Mr. Bairu, if they showed up to race, but they didn't!

Jason