Is Solomon Haile really 20 years old?

i didn't explain because I don't know if he is and I don't care. I'm not trying to defend him. Maybe he's 48. I'm just saying it's sad to see people getting ulcers over this a month after the fact when 400 people got killed in gaza last week. If you all wish to make it your personal crusade to diminish his achievment, that's you perogative, but you're utimately only hurting yourself in my opinion...in more ways than one. Even if he is over age, I've seen how he handles himself in interviews, and he impresses me as a classy individual. Now, the people who continue to dog him anonymously on message boards on the other hand...

sonofsiskel wrote:

i didn't explain because I don't know if he is and I don't care. I'm not trying to defend him. Maybe he's 48. I'm just saying it's sad to see people getting ulcers over this a month after the fact when 400 people got killed in gaza last week. If you all wish to make it your personal crusade to diminish his achievment, that's you perogative, but you're utimately only hurting yourself in my opinion...in more ways than one. Even if he is over age, I've seen how he handles himself in interviews, and he impresses me as a classy individual. Now, the people who continue to dog him anonymously on message boards on the other hand...

I love those those completely bereft of rational thought. So this gentleman cheating is nothing when 400 people died. Ok, if someone robs your house and rapes your kids, the police should say, well 400 people died in Gaza so what are you complaining about? This is obvious hyperbole but illustrates the point that at some point, there is something worth stressing over, even if it's not literally the biggest problem in the world. Idiocy part two, he he's a well spoken, nice guy so let's let him cheat. Back to the original example, if the guy who robs your house and rapes your kids is well spoken and charming, let him off the hook, right? Absolutely moronic arguments. What if he competes next year as a high school girl and has all the documents to back it up. Should everyone let it go because he now she is still charming and another 1000 have died in Gaza. This guy took advantage of the perception Westerners have of Africans. He's sophisticated and well to do - a world traveler - came here to clean up on the pro racing scene and seeking an agent. When he realized that a college scholarship is worth a thousand times what he could earn in prize money, he changed his name, bought new docs and played the poor savage who can't read a calendar and doesn't understand our complicated entry forms routine. It's actually a really big deal and could open the door to any affluent foreigner with access to bogus government docs to pillage the high school system. Liars and cheaters are a bad thing for everyone. I'm happy people keep bumping this thread so it is quickly forgotten what a con artist he is.

he won the championship...your whining on here does nothing other than run up your blood pressure...but go at it all day if you think by doing so you are achieving something of value...hell...keep it up for the rest of your lives for all i care...personally, I'm looking forward to indoor track...

Nobody is saying he didn't win a national championship but this kid's name is ruined for the most part in this little competitive running niche and if he keeps on breaking records and such his name will be ruined even more.

Solomon the Cheater is pathetic piece of dung.

WOW, I said it louder.

Give it a rest gang.

sonofsiskel wrote:

he won the championship...your whining on here does nothing other than run up your blood pressure...but go at it all day if you think by doing so you are achieving something of value...hell...keep it up for the rest of your lives for all i care...personally, I'm looking forward to indoor track...

... and your responding to be does nothing but keep the issue alive and run up your blood pressure. Difference being, having the issue kept alive serves my purposes. If you've never dealt with frauds before, more of their satisfaction comes from thinking they're getting away with something than in the con itself. Right now that satisfaction is being taken away. That brings my blood pressure down. As for you, try niacin.

sonofsiskel wrote:

Even if he is over age, I've seen how he handles himself in interviews, and he impresses me as a classy individual.

The same could be said of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

It appears that both Blagojevich and Haile are big time cheats and those of us with higher moral standards will keep dogging both of them until they better prove their innocence.

He has not been PROVEN guilty by anyone but a few dorks on letsrun. We are in the USA you loser - innocent until proven guilty!

Sanchez wrote:

He has not been PROVEN guilty by anyone but a few dorks on letsrun. We are in the USA you loser - innocent until proven guilty!

I think that's exactly the point. If he's guilty, let's find out and have justice done. I have not paid much attention to this issue, but I see that the thread keeps hanging around. I can understand how people could be incensed if Solomon is in his 20's and/or a professional runner. Last time I checked, all he needed to do to prove his innocence was to produce a passport showing his date of birth, and he steadfastly refused to do so. Is that still the case?

He's lied about his age before and now suddenly we should believe he's telling the truth. The fact that he is well spoken proves to me he understands what's going on. He wrote that he was 20 on his entry forms and he also raced under another name. How can you just throw that out and say, Oh he didn't mean what he said. The burden of proof is on Solomon now since he was the one who originally wrote down the number 20. It is a big deal if he's not eligible and racing with the wrong group of people. It's cheating!! I think that is why people are so angry--It's not fair!!.

According to his entry forms from 2007, Solomon has just turned 22 years old. He still can't decide if those entry forms were lies so he could run without parental supervision or if he flew all the way around the world on his own but can't read a calendar. While he decides which is true, or comes up with a third option (he flew in space for several years and therefore didn't age?), he remains a 22 years old running con artist running against kids. Personally, I can't wait to see Derrick and Fernandez come back to high school running when they're 22 (2012?).

Do you all really believe that you have all of the info? Do you really think that he cares what a bunch of slow letsrun losers think? I hope not. The burden of proff is not on him. He only needs to prove to the people around him, the colleges that he is looking at and the NCAA. Other than that you people mean nothing. So crawl back in your holes and go away. I love it that this guy will go to school free and your lame asses will be typing away on letsrun. Boohoo!

First of all, I was much faster at 22 than he is now, so I'm not impressed. I also went to school for free even though I went at 18... now the 18 year olds I coach go to school for free, even though a 22 year old is taking away one scholarship. This man has already said he pays attention to the boards. What do you mean "all the info?" What I typed was accurate and would lead any rational human to deduce he is 22 years old.

I suspect Solomon is over age simply because he looks overage. That's my main reason for thinking he is over age; I don't know for sure that he is over age and there is absolutely nothing I've read in this entire thread that gives me any more confidence that he is definitely over age. I would rather let 20 over age athletes slip by, than to falsely incriminate one innocent 'proper age' athlete.

As long as we don't know for sure that he is over age and the power that be (MHSAA and NHSF) have done their due diligence we have to let it go and move on.

Enough is enough!

When an athlete flies around the world making money at races and putting the same birth date down on each one, what on Earth leads you to believe he is any other age than what he put down. It wasn't a calendar issue because the difference in the two calendars isn't the difference in ages. It wasn't a ploy to avoid needing guardians there because his sister admits she filled out at least one form and he later recanted that story.

When an athlete changes his name and his birth date so he can receive significant notoriety and financial reward, this sounds like the time to doubt his age.

He definitely lied, the only question is when. Did he lie about his age when he had no reason to or when he had every to.

Read the fourth post of this thread. This kid ran as a 20 year old on at least 8 different occasions.

When a local newspaper offered to clear his name if he just showed them his passport he refused.

Exactly, you do not know all of the info so stop trying to act like you do. If you are a coach and an adult then I hope you are wise and mature enough not to believe everything you hear or read in the newspaper. Worse yet, I hope you do not believe everthing written on the internet. He has no obligation to clear anything up with any of you. Continue the crying all you want. It has now become humorous because all of those attempting to harm him are starting to look like fools. He either will be eligible to run Division I in college or not and it will be based on his test scores. I believe that we will eventually see him at a strong running school if not next year.