How Bashir Abdi made history in 2024
For Belgium, 2024 was a year of unforgettable sporting moments. Belga takes a closer look at five Belgian athletes who surpassed all expectations and made their mark on the global stage. Today, we focus on distance runner Bashir Abdi.
The world met Bashir Abdi at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. The ever-smiling athlete won bronze in the marathon in Japan, coached across the line by his training partner and silver medallist Abdi Nageeye.
It was a magical moment for the Somali-born Abdi, who emigrated to Belgium as a teenager, as he secured the country's first Olympic marathon medal since 1976. At the time, Abdi believed he would never be able to top that performance: "To do better than Tokyo? Never," he said.
"To do better than Tokyo? Never"
Abdi could not have been more wrong. With thousands of Belgian fans cheering him on along the way, he went one better than in Japan, winning a silver medal on the Esplanade des Invalides.
Impressive result
Looking at the competition, it becomes clear just how good Abdi's performance in Paris was. Only Tamirat Tola was faster than the Belgian, setting a new Olympic record. Abdi crossed the line just 21 seconds later.
His result is all the more impressive when you consider that his preparations for the Olympics could not have been worse.
In January, he suffered a stress fracture in his pelvis and was unable to run for several months. While his rivals were able to test their fitness in marathon races, Abdi was forced to concentrate on his recovery during altitude training in Ethiopia. As a result, many experts believed he would not get the chance to win a second Olympic medal.
Blessing in disguise?
It may well be that the injuries were in fact at least partly responsible for Abdi's success.
The stress fracture prevented him from competing in marathon and half-marathon events, which most of his competitors did to prepare for the Olympics. Thanks to this, he managed to channel all the energy he had saved into the Olympic marathon itself.
Instead, he had to follow a special training programme to get fit in time for the Games. Abdi said these training sessions were very repetitive and boring, improving his mental strength.
Not competing in official races and improving his mental strength may have been the key factors.
"I said to myself before the race: you are the only fresh athlete standing here. And the course is incredibly tough, so that will be an advantage," he explained after winning the silver medal.
Yet another comeback
Abdi broke the fifth metatarsal bone in his foot in a fall in November, requiring surgery and six weeks off running. It means another comeback for the 35-year-old.
"Now is the time to recover, come back stronger and prepare for next season's challenges," he wrote on social media after the operation. Even with two Olympic medals under his belt, Abdi is already looking ahead to the next challenge.
© BELGA PHOTO JASPER JACOBS
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