My athletic career started on New Year in 2004. Four years later, I became an Olympic marathon runner in Beijing 2008. I am not afraid of dreaming big dreams. With my little experience, I set out to Beijing to stand on the podium with an Olympic medal. My technical errors in the last few kilometers did not allow this dream to come true, though. However, I comfortably stood 8th. It was all God’s will.

Early in the morning of late December 2003, I remember, I was in my military camp when my commander summoned me for a ‘work visit’. But, I wasn’t really needed for a work visit as I soon found out. On the pretext of ‘work visit’, he wanted me to participate in a military athletic qualification competition without my knowledge. When I knew where I was being taken, I refused to take part in the race. Looking at my day to day military exercise, my commander knew I could make it. But I didn’t. Neither did I know the potential that was within me.

Falling out with my commander, I returned to my camp. I guess the idea of running for a competition made me feel lazy. My former friend named Daniel was not happy about the action I took at that time. He had good knowledge about athletics. Looking at my ‘awesome power and bold style’, he used to persuade me to start running as a profession since 2000, which I completely ignored. Four years later, at about the beginning of the year 2004, when I got a call by my commander, he was astonished. When I declined that call, he was dump-founded and blamed me. He begged me to take part in the competition once again. He knew I could find out the privilege of being treated as a sportsman - with special food and training treatments. I thought of it for a moment and settled my mind. I finally said I was ready for the competition. It was a relief for all my friends.

I automatically took part in a 5,000m race without any training or racing kit. Hurrah! I became a surprise winner stunning everyone in my first ever competition. My friends were the happiest of all for the astonishing result I achieved. They found a good reason to substantiate their trust in me.

That victory rang a ‘wake up call’ in my mind. I knew I could advance for further and greater achievements if I quit some of my addictions and focus on running. I worked hard on it and succeeded.
I took part in another 10,000m race and won. Before I jump to another advanced competitions representing my unit, I decided to train with Debub athletic club in Adi Keih. I was welcomed cordially by the members and got in a task of shaping myself quickly. I used to wake up as early as 5:00am and wait for them at the gate in the cold weather. It was not easy for me to catch up with their paces at first. They were much more experienced. But, I did not lose hope. In just two weeks time, I showed great improvement. I started to compete with experienced runners that lifted my confidence.
My next competition was a 21km big military event where some of the country’s well known athletes participated. It was my first half marathon race. I stood third following professional athletes Teclemariam Mered and Gebru Sereke. The race covered the Segeneity-Deckmhare route. It took me 72 minutes. Considering the high altitude and its hilly roads, I said, ‘not bad for a starter’. Teclemariam and Gebru beat me with more than four minutes. On my second half marathon trial I run along side Zerisenay Tedese, Eritrea’s Olympic medalist, to lower my time to 67 minutes in Massawa. My third trial was more fruitful as I reduced it to 65 miniutes.
The chance I got to prove myself in the competitions of Eritrean Defence Forces (EDF) helped me well to be the athlete I am this time. In 2004 I was already part of the national team that took part in World Half Marathon Championship in India, which was a huge progress. From that time on, the door to international competitions was wide open for me. I got the necessary training and competitions in Spain as well.
Just in my second competition in Spain, I jumped to full marathon as a pacemaker, which was my first marathon race. No body expected me to make a difference. Nor did I thought of achieving something worth talking about. My manager had no reason to be with me at the race. I guess she had much more important things to do with other experienced athletes. To prove it wrong, in the first full marathon I took part in San Sebastián (Spain), I stood out tall winning the race and was talk of the town. I won my first marathon race with more than four minutes difference from the second Kenyan winner. My journey of athletics as a novice athlete came up unfolding bigger and bigger surprises.
I focused on half and full marathon races. In my second World Half Marathon Championship, I stood 9th in Edmonton. Despite my expected progress, in 2006 I was almost out of competition due to injury. But in 2007 and 2008 I did some IAAF difficult competitions.
My current personal best half marathon time is 1:00:28 set in Azpeitia on 31 March 2007. My personal best for full marathon race is that of Lake Biwa Marathon (Japan) 2:08:34; set on 2 March 2008 when I stood second beaten by Shami Mubarak Hassan, originally Kenyan but with a Qatar nationality.
In the 11th IAAF World Championships held in Osaka in August 2007, I comfortably stood 4th with a time of 2:17:41.
A year after this competition, in August 2008, I am again proud to stand 8th in my first Olympic race which I took part four years after I started running.
My latest Marathon race is the 2009 Lake Biwa edition where I stood 3rd following Kenya’s Paul Tergat and Spain’s Jose Rios in 2:10.49.
If I am not sounding too proud, I would like you to know that I am still not afraid of dreaming big dreams. I know one day, by God’s will, I will break World Marathon record. I am counting on it.