Who is Misiker Demissie who just got cleared to run the trials?

!New-US-Citizen-Demissie-Joins-The-ADP/

Misiker Mekonnen Demissie

Originally from Ethiopia, Missie will compete in her first U.S. championships at the 2016 US Olympic Marathon Team Trials hosted by the Los Angeles Marathon on February 13.

At 29 years of age, Demissie is an experienced marathoner entering the Trials with the 6th fastest marathon time in the field at 2:25:21 from the 2011 San Diego Marathon where she finished runner-up. She has the third fastest marathon in the field over the last two years with her 2:25:45 from the 2013 Ottawa Marathon ranking her only behind behind Shalane Flanagan’s 2014 2:21:14 and Desiree Linden’s 2014 2:23:54.

Missie is no stranger to the Los Angeles Marathon having finished runner in 2010 and 2012 running 2:26:20 and 2:28:09, respectively. She has also claimed four marathon titles, including the 2015 Torreon Marathon Internacional Lala, the 2013 and 2012 Hong Kong Marathons and the 2010 Rock ‘n Roll Arizona Marathon.

Demissie holds personal bests at shorter distance ranging from 15:35 for 5k, to 25:46 for 8k, to 70:21 for the half-marathon.

Definitely looks pretty bad for Scott Simmons taking an athlete these shady on. "American" Distance Project my ass.

Scott Simmons has two potential qualifiers ~ looks great to me.

Just texted a member of the American distance project to ask about Misiker. He had a few things to say about her that were all great. One thing was that she is tough as nails and has been crushing workouts. The downside is that she has been crushing workouts alot and pushes really hard so overtraining may be an issue. Went on to say he thinks if she feels good, that there aren't many ladies who will beat her. Very humble and very nice girl.

I asked if he thought she was a doper. "I have no idea, I know I'm not a doper so I can only speak for me".

Ridiculous. An Ethiopian/Bahraini/American running Albuquerque. Could she be any more of a running mercenary? If she can be on the US team, then we might as well stop the charade and let the country that bids the most hire the best athletes for its national team.

Belainesh Gebre has apparently got USA citizenship and has entered the Marathon Trials.

http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2016/U-S--Olympic-Team-Trials---Marathon/Status-of-Entries.aspx

I am happy for her, Go Belainesh.

J.R. wrote:

kmaclam wrote:

Could you expound on why you hope she wins the Trials?

Because she has to be tougher than the others to win, and therefore will deserve it the most.

I'm not a fan of snivelling cowards, especially not those who take pot shots at people just because they have different backgrounds and ethnicities.

I feel like I walked into the middle of something here. Obviousley the metanarrative (forget the drug angle for now) is whether it's 'fair' to the runners born & raised here to have runners from other countries suddenly appear in 'their' National competitions. I could see if my daughter had even an outside chance at making an Olympic team, I might be conflicted to see a couple of women on the start line from anywhere outside the U.S. & particularly from East Africa. Conversely, I have 5 adopted children (2 from Ethiopia), one of whom has shown some running ability so I could see myself potentially having to hear the grumblings of other parents/participants as early as next year when my son may run X-C for his middle school here in my lily-white town. Ideally, the issue is debated civilly from both sides and at worse, we agree to disagree.

Guillermo Robinson wrote:

If USADA doesn't test her at least once a week between now and the trials the we can officially say they're not doing their job. Dig around on this board and you'll find plenty of tales of her husband/ coach / handler seeking out EPO. Google her name and find pics of her and known EPO cheat Eskyas Sisay.

How dare you! You're not allowed to point out that people of color would ever do anything wrong, would consider lying or cheating. That is the province of white people only (as long as they aren't gay, transgendered, crippled or Jewish).

douglas burke wrote:

Belainesh Gebre has apparently got USA citizenship and has entered the Marathon Trials.

http://www.usatf.org/Events---Calendar/2016/U-S--Olympic-Team-Trials---Marathon/Status-of-Entries.aspx

I am happy for her, Go Belainesh.

Terrific!

So we suddenly have a 2:25 marathoner eligible for Team USA.

USADA doesn't show that she has ever been drug tested, which might make sense if she wasn't an American until recently.

http://www.usada.org/testing/results/athlete-test-history/

I assume Bahrain hasn't been testing her or Ethiopia either.

Out of simple self-protection, USATF or the USOC needs to have some requirement that to make Team USA you have to have been in the testing pool and been tested for at least a year before you can make a team. The IOC ought to have the same rule for anyone competing at the Olympics.

This should be equally true for anyone regardless of the citizenship question. Athletes shouldn't be able to dope while not be subject to testing, and then pop a big qualifying time. This is what the Russian women were apparently doing for years or the Turkish 1500 runners at the 2012 Olympics. People shouldn't be eligible for a team or the Olympics without an established track record of being tested for doping.

Source...RunnersWorld wrote:

Article continues here

A quote from the linked story:

“I’m hoping some legal scientific coaching will lift her to the next level. Scott is looking more long-term,” Froude said of Scott Simmons, whose American Distance Project team Demissie joined in December."

What is "legal" scientific coaching? Has she been getting "illegal scientific coaching"? What does is that supposed to mean?

This whole thing is ludicrous. It's bad enough our sport can't drum up any more popularity than billiards and ping pon - sorry, table tennis. Garbage like this is why. She's no more American than menu item #23 I just ordered at a Chinese restaurant, yet she could be an American Olympian. Sounds racist but if some of these athletes were American enough that the average ESPN XIII watcher (because running doesn't make plain old ESPN like it used to, remember 'Running & Racing' with Mary Liquori??) could pronounce their name, maybe more than 9 people would follow our sport. I just watched the Dubai Marathon start to finish. I have loved this sport for 30+ years, and even I was bored, not to mention every time I would mention one of the elite's names, my wife would say 'God bless you.' Remember Alene Amere? Makes me think back to him. The FBI wouldn't have been able to get his background straight.

+1

This is a great idea. We all know the testing protocols are imperfect (to understate it), but being able to line up for an OT race without ever having been in the testing pool at all is ridiculous.

He's a U.S. citizen now.

I don't think it's feasible. Your plan would have kept Kim Conley off the Olympic team in 2012.

Need a track record wrote:

Athletes shouldn't be able to dope while not be subject to testing, and then pop a big qualifying time.

That's not going to happen.

I'm more concerned with drugs being forced on people by doctors in hospitals that cause life threatening conditions and death.

She would be fine. He just wants the blacks tested.

Scott Simmons. I knew he would be involved.

Has he been cleared for the theft charges at his bar yet?

Dirty. Dirty. Dirty.

Meb Keflegzhi came here at 10? and then ran in the olympics representing the US. He is still seen as some as a foreigner. I think the running community here has embrassed him but those outside the running community see a foreign guy with a funny name.

That is why america is a farce. You are not what you say you are. You are just a bunch of simple minded praire trash...

By the way. The best ethiopian/kenyan athletes go to bahrain to win medals there because they are more welcoming than you. They dont walk around with a big red, white, and blue stick up there rear end.

How does it feel to be less tolerant that a middle eastern country that came out of the middle ages 40 years ago.

Probably not good.

Go Misikir i hope she takes it! and shoves it in your face.