Born in Somalia, raised in Belgium and regularly training in Ethiopia, marathon runner Bashir Abdi is hoping for another medal in Paris after winning bronze at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago.
“For me, as a Belgian athlete, this is the Olympics where I feel almost at home,” 35-year-old Abdi told AFP.
The European marathon record holder with a time of 2h 03m 36s studied every step of the 42.195 kilometer (26.2 mile) route that winds around the French capital’s world-famous landmarks.
“It’s Paris, I’m excited,” he said.
Abdi knows it will be a tough race on the hilly course through the city and pointed to a particularly challenging section at the 30km mark.
“It’s very beautiful from there to the finish line. Nice big roads, no more hills, and of course the historic parts of Paris, beautiful monuments, buildings,” he said.
Abdi’s preparations for the Paris Olympics faced obstacles, an injury at the start of the year led to a forced two-month break.
But he’s optimistic about his chances after running again in March.
“I hope I will be fresher than the other athletes,” he said from his training camp in the hills around the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
“I’m healthy, I’m doing well and I’m really looking forward to the most important race in 2024.”
He did some final work in the Pyrenees before heading to Paris.
And the tragic absence of Kenyan world record holder Kelvin Kiptum will be felt at the Paris race after he died aged 24 in a car crash in February.
“It was shocking news,” Abdi said.
For him, the memories of Kiptum’s record-breaking run at the Chicago Marathon last October remain fresh.
“I remember the day before the race I asked him what the plan was. He was joking and said ‘I’m going to try for the world record tomorrow’,” Abdi recalled.
“As soon as we started the race, it started flying.
When Abdi left conflict-torn Somalia at the age of nine, chasing Olympic gold over the legendary distance was by no means a childhood dream.
“At my young age, I didn’t even know there was a sport other than football,” he said.
“I never dreamed of being a runner.
Soon after arriving in Belgium, he joined a local football club, which helped him make friends, learn the language and adapt to his new environment.
“Belgium is definitely where I feel at home,” said Abdi, who lives in the city of Ghent with his wife and four children.
“It is a country that welcomed us.
After a knee injury and surgery a few years later, Abdi took up running on the advice of a friend.
Then came his first races, first successes and glittering career.
Now Abdi is preparing for his third Olympics.
When the pain and fatigue sets in near the end of the race, he says he’ll think about the “sacrifices” he’s made to get to this point.
And he will be motivated by the special spirit of the Olympics.
“You have to wait four years before you can realize your dreams, your goals. It’s something beautiful,” he said. “It’s something you can’t describe the significance of. It’s something that definitely changed my life.”
