He looked old already but then so did Haile and Eliud. The most reasonable assumption, given their career longevity, is that they were young but not that young, from 20-22 when they hit it big, and then held on really well. Eliud has likely run the world record marathon as a master, as did Haile, and though other factors are in play Gebrhiwet has likely run 12:42 at about 32-33 years old, at an age when Mo Farah was still winning gold at 5 and 10.
Stop looking at the stache or guessing based on size. Looking at the face, he is 20 years old, max. The times are not even that crazy. Also have you seen US high school basketball, football and baseball players? They look 30 from a distance. Interviews and close ups show the real age of high performance athletes.
Stop looking at the stache or guessing based on size. Looking at the face, he is 20 years old, max. The times are not even that crazy. Also have you seen US high school basketball, football and baseball players? They look 30 from a distance. Interviews and close ups show the real age of high performance athletes.
You're joking, right? I have never seen an 18 year old with that many forehead and mouth wrinkles. Let alone on someone with a decent amount of melanin. Ok, maybe Greg Oden, but he clearly has a generic condition given his 7 foot stature so I don't count him.
The reality is, some of these east Africans are older then they're saying, some are not. The reason so many look so old is due to their grueling and withering lifestyles.
All of these guys were born into poverty, heat, and malnutrition. They were forced to walk/run to school/work in the sweltering sun, whilst drinking less than half a gallon of water a day. They have no skin care routines, access to sun-cream, moisturizer or even hats.
This lifestyle ages you significantly, most (if not all) east Africans look older than they actually are.
I should reiterate however, many of them do 'lie' or 'misinform' WA about their true age. Oh and add to that the fact that most of these runners don't have any official birth documents.
I'm not buying it. Call me racist if you want but there's no way these pictures from last season are of a 17 year old.
Racist.
But it's more complex and detailed. It's its f***ing tiring now. Certain people are unable to think and comprehend a world outside theirs. That it is different, diverse, complex and powerful to unbelievable levels of magnitude. And to this power, threatened with disintegration of ego, at anything that doesn't represent what is in their house and the four people in it, control, perception manipulation and management, gaslighting...etc must follow to deal with, rationalise and somehow process it.
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