What do Ethiopian athletes say about London 2012?

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Tirunesh Dibaba

When the 10,000 meters race kicked-off, there was one thing in my mind; it was my fans back home.  As I thought more about my fans, I began to accelerate more and started to zoom in on the gold medal. So, it is I who should say thank you.

Meseret Defar

I was the underdog in the race. And that is why the victory made me too emotional. I did all I can with my mates Tirunesh and Gelete. Shortly before the race, the three of us had a discussion not to give away the gold to the Kenyan athletes. We planned to give it all we had at the last lap. Fortunately, I did it very well.  But, it was not my personal victory; rather it was the priceless contribution of teammates.

Tiki Gelana

It is still hard for me to express how I felt. Even three hours after I crossed the finishing line, I did not believe whether it was real or not. At the middle point of the race, especially around the 21st km mark, I was really feeling tired. And I was also getting frustrated after a fall. But when I saw some of the runners, including a Kenyan dropping out from the race, I was energized again. Ahead of the last few kilometers I came to know that it’s my victory. However, it was also devastating for me to see that the men’s team was unable perform.

Tariku Bekele

I was expecting Kenenisa to sprint around the last lap as usual. However, he was feeling pain before the race; he took anesthesia. Personally, I was in a good condition and I was not tired until the end. But it was due to technical error that we lost the Gold medal. We could have won it had it not been for Gebregziabher’s and Kenenisa’s injuries.

Dejen Gebremeskel

It was a good race especially in the qualifying rounds. At the final as well, we had very good teamwork. But, we lost the gold due to minor technical problems. It was really my mistake and it cost me a gold medal.

Source: The Reporter