FRESHMAN RUNS 9:01

He's going to move to Massah-chewsits next year- take this: for a better education. So maybe this kid isn't here for the prize money and is actually looking for a better life after all....

I think we could have concluded that even if he had not moved to MASS?

That was targeted to those people claiming he's really (insert age > 15) and saying he's here just to take advantage of America's lack of elite competition.

Finnerty also ran 4.14 at the same meet- so don't take away from what he did with that 9.06, since that is killer double for a frosh.

Well my kid ran against a 12 year old Somalian kid in age group track and this kid looked 16. He was almost 6 feet tall. Supposedly did not have a real birth certificate but a Visa or some crap to prove his age to get a USATF membership. A bunch of coaches and spectators were crying BS. I told my kid "welcome to the World of International running" and go out there and try to beat him. The kid from Somalia almost broke 2 National age group records. I sure hope he has a valid BC. I'm not saying this 9th grader is lying but time will tell. It's still a great time regardless of his age.

Finnerty's pr is 4:16.95 from the state mee this year

If it makes you feel any better civil war has already (most likely) taken away more of that child's life than he would ever see. I doubt his parents would lie to rip him off of a couple more years. There is NO way his parents brought him here for running, and they wouldn't have lied intentionally about an age on his USATF form so he could win a damn race against 12 year olds.

There are bigger issues in this world than your son's race.

Yes, because that's totally relevant.

Your comment is bleeding heart bullshit.

Birth certificates count.

Lets feel sorry for war torn children cheating the system; just not fair.

Please refer to tullyrunners.com for never ending coverage/glorification of 23 year old seniors in New York State. . .

So just to clarify...

You think his family spent thousands of dollars to leave their home and family in Somalia to come and win a race for 12 year olds?

Or this is part of a master plan for something 5-10 year from now?

BJP - YES!!!!! There are all kinds of people in this world that would exploit athletes and people in general. I say Bullshit - it does count if you are cheating, that is no way to bring up a kid and teach them morals. Is it coincidence that this kids name had never been seen before on any National youth rankings for anything, and he shows up in perhaps the best running area in the U.S. and wins everything in sight. Not to mention what is heard about the club he runs for. Maybe you have never seen how some folks at age group National meets think their kid is going to be the next Michael Johnson.I have been to several National meets over the years and seen 10-12 yr old kids that have been in serious weight lifting programs and taking Creatine - Red Bull - Adrenaline, etc, anything to get ahead, and the parents support it. I have had 3 different club coaches tell me they have literally kicked kids/parents off their teams for this type of training and behavior. Lets put it this way - Do I think there are kids cheating the age group system? Statistics will tell you - yes. Hell, look at the state of sports right now how many track/football/baseball athletes have been drugging to get where they are. It disgusts me and disrespect's the sport. My kid will work for what he gets and not CHEAT or DRUG to do it. Also I never said this kid in particular was cheating only he has told people he did not have what "we" would call a valid birth certificate, he provided another document that must have been considered valid to prove his age.

If he's Ethiopian, then he just disgraced his country by not challenging some high profile record.

Do you think his parents wouldn't say he was 3 years younger so he would be in an earlier grade and learn english or just adjust to america easier? I really, really doubt the kid from maine came here or had his age fudged to win races, but I really really doubt he is 15.

Silverback wrote:

I really really doubt he is 15.

I don't know if he is or isn't. But we've mentioned this about so many Africans. Maybe they're not all lying, but instead they just look a few years older.

I think that you really need to "study" the situation over in Somalia. For one, your assumption requires that his parents KNEW he was going to be a good runner when they were over in Somalia. WELL, running is typically not considrede a sport in Somalia. Of course, there are a few runners... that WOULD be fast if they had a better structure and training there... but they have NOTHING. Do you know that in Somalia the average annual income is about $100 per year? Well it is... so this family would probably be (and probably IS) happy working in this country at jobs you would never consider for yourself or your family. I believe that there are people cheating the system, but please TRUST me that the entire Somali government didn't collapse (do you guys realize there is NO functioning government there??) just so that 16 year old boys could ligitimately claim not to have a birth certificate and thus be able to race against 12 year olds.

Someone else asked if his parents would put him in a lower grade so he could improve his English. OF COURSE that is a possibility. That doesn' mean that they would need to lie about his age.

And with regards to the Ethiopian boy... I heard that he does not even LOOK older than 15???????

BJP.. you are (unfortunately) trying to convince a group that can never be convinced regardless of any evidence.

on letsrun.com you are considered a druggie who lies about their age, is most likely gay, wears spandex and probably enjoys triathlons unless you are a pure bred white boy who had ancestors on the mayflower

skeptic wrote:

Well my kid ran against a 12 year old Somalian kid in age group track and this kid looked 16. He was almost 6 feet tall. Supposedly did not have a real birth certificate but a Visa or some crap to prove his age to get a USATF membership. A bunch of coaches and spectators were crying BS. I told my kid "welcome to the World of International running" and go out there and try to beat him. The kid from Somalia almost broke 2 National age group records. I sure hope he has a valid BC. I'm not saying this 9th grader is lying but time will tell. It's still a great time regardless of his age.

Guys like Taye and the rest are older than what is claimed. It's funny but not funny. 16 - 17 year old kids shouldn't be eligible for frosh records. Yeah, they come from Africa, so we have to overlook their lack of valid BC's and bow to PC pressure. What crap.

It's official, you are a piece of shit. It's funny that a 15 year old boy could smoke your ass at any distance. On the other hand, your fist is shoved so far up your ass, you probably don't have time to race.

The sad thing here is that there is so much anger directed at Taye, for running his 9.01, as if by being Somalian he cannot be trusted, and not a single person saying young Finnerty is not his age with his 9.06.

There is no proof that Taye is anything but what he claims to be, and I cannot conceive of the proof that will make someone who does not want to believe, believe. He obviously had to produce a birth certificate to register for school and for other reasons, but even that would not satisfy the haters, who will claim it was obviously forged. So what kind of proof would work?

I simply celebrate his running, as I do Finnerty and Havel and other freshman running times we have a hard time believing.