Dubai: Eritrea's Yared Asmerom will line up in the 2010 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on January 22 backed by a remarkable success story that saw him claim a top ten place at the Beijing Olympics just four years after joining the ranks of competitive running.
Asmerom comes to the world's richest marathon six years after taking to the track for the first time as a reluctant competitor in an army 5,000-metre race. Luckily for the world of track and field, a win in that debut race convinced the self-confessed lazy runner that he had the potential to reach the top.
While others spotted his potential, the young Eritrean was unconvinced until that debut win set him on a road that culminated in a magnificent eighth place finish in Beijing just four years later.
"At military camp, my commander wanted me to participate in a military athletic qualifier but I refused," said Asmerom. "A friend of mine was not happy about it and begged me to do it. I decided to go for it and without any training or racing kit, I was a surprise winner. It was kind of a ‘wake up call' and made me focus on running. I gave up drinking and smoking and worked hard. I took on a 10km race and won that then joined the Debub Athletic Club in Adi Keih."
Rapid progress
With his teammates at a slightly higher level, Asmerom knew he had to work hard to keep up yet in his first half marathon he still claimed third. Asmerom's rapid progress and ambition saw him head to Beijing with medal hopes for the marathon.
Unfortunately, a podium place was out of his reach but eighth place against the world's best distance runners just four years after his debut as a novice proved he has the potential to keep up with the best — a fact emphasised by a time of 2h:10m and third place in the 2009 Lake Biwa Marathon behind the legendary Paul Tergat and Spain's Jose Rios.
