Zersenay Tadese succesful at the 85th Giro di Castelbuono
An Eritrean long distance runner, Zersenay Tadese is no alien in the field of athletics. He has the distinction of being the first ever Olympic medallist for his nation, a feat he accomplished at the 2004 Athens Olympics: a simply fascinating performance at the ten thousand meters provided him with a bronze medal.
Furthermore, he also remains the first athlete to attain a gold medal at a world championship for his country, which was established with his title at the twenty kilometres at the IAAF World Road Running Championships held in 2006. His forte has emerged to be the half marathon distance; winning three years in a row at the World Half Marathon Championships from 2007 to 2009 clearly establishes this fact.
The recently held Lisbon Half Marathon provided this athlete with a world record, testifying to his athletic supremacy and aptness of performance. He has also displayed his potential at the arena of cross country running: over the last five IAAF World Cross Country Championships, he has managed to bag one gold medal, one silver medal, and two bronze medals.
The year of 2009 proved exceptionally fruitful for him, as he received another distinction; Zersenay Tadese became only the second man in history, after Paul Tergat, to attain three World Championship medals on three different surfaces in the same year; a bronze medal at the World Cross Country Championships, a silver medal at the World Championships, and a shiny gold medal at the World Half Marathon Championships allowed his name to be penned down in the memoirs of history as one of the greatest athletes the world has witnessed in a long time.
His personal best in the field of ten thousand meters is truly impressive: he has to his name a completion time of twenty six minutes and slightly over thirty seven seconds, a feat he was able to achieve in Belgium in 2006.
His record in the arena of half marathon is equally impressive: a completion time of fifty eight minutes and twenty three seconds, which implies the strength of his physical stamina as well his determined attitude towards his passion.
One of the oldest races known to Europe, the 85th Giro di Castelbuono took place this week, providing ambitious athletes with a gruelling opportunity to showcase their excellence. It is a very strenuous race, keeping in mind the hilly course consisting of ten loops, with each loop being 1.13 kilometres.
Yet this task was accomplished seemingly effortlessly by Zersenay Tadese, who conceded the race with an extremely efficient completion time of fifty eight minutes and twenty three seconds.
Tadese displayed a stroke of excellence right from the start of the race, and as he neared completion of the first lap, a significant distance could be noticed between him and his competitors.
By the time he was halfway through the race, he had already established an advantage of nineteen seconds over other nearing athletes, allowing him to slow down slightly in the final lap as he emerged victorious amidst a roar of cheers from the crowd.
A win at such a prestigious tournament is certainly something to write home about, and a memory that will remain celebrated for this talented athlete for the rest of his life.
Not only did it provide his nation with another well meant reason to celebrate and beam with pride, it also gave Tadese a strong sense of motivation to continue performing with the same zeal. Keeping in mind the consistency of performances, and the increased vigour and stamina that this aspiring athlete has been displaying with every tournament that comes his way, it can be easily said that this recent victory is amongst the many more to come his way.
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