Bolota Asmerom (born 12 October 1978) [1] is a long-distance runner who competed for Eritrea before gaining a US visa in 2002. He attended McAteer High School in San Francisco and graduated in 1995. His personal-record for the 5k in high school cross country was 15:59. He placed 6th in CIF cross-country championships Division 3 in his senior year. After High school, he went on to attend the University of California. Bolota has a brother, Yonathan, who was also on The University of California Track and Field Team.
In 2000, while studying at the University of California [2] he represent Eritrea at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, he entered the 5000 metres where he finished 16th in his heat so didn't qualify for the final. [3]
In May 2002 he gained US nationality, he entered for the 2004 United States Olympic Trials (track and field), although he finished third he didn't have the Olympic "A" standard time to qualify. [4] In the 2008 United States Olympic Trials (track and field) he was in a good position going into the final turn before being bumped off the track thus losing his rhythm and finishing in fourth place. [5] Asmerom went to McAteer high school in San Francisco, graduated from UC Berkeley, and now lives in Oakland, CA.
Asmerom spent one semester studying counseling psychology at the University of San Francisco. He is currently a coach.
Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi is a retired American long distance runner. He is the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the marathon and finished in fourth place in the 2012 Summer Olympics. He won the 2009 New York City Marathon on November 1, 2009, and the 2014 Boston Marathon on April 21, 2014, becoming the first American man to win each race since 1982 and 1983, respectively. Keflezighi is a graduate of UCLA, where he won four NCAA championships competing for the UCLA Bruins track and field team. He came in fourth in the 2014 New York City Marathon on November 2, 2014, eighth in the 2015 Boston Marathon on April 20, 2015, and second in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Gabe Jennings is an American Olympian and semi-retired middle-distance runner. As a student at Madison East High School in Madison, Wisconsin, Jennings won nine state titles in the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) and, as of 2022, still holds the 1600 meter record in the WIAA Division 1 with his 1997 time of 4:04.97. At Stanford University, he was an All-America athlete ten times and an NCAA champion four times. He qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics as a college junior but was eliminated during the semi-finals.
Dave Maggard is an American former Olympian and university athletic director.
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Otis Ray Norton is a former American sprinter who competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome.
Chris Derrick is an American distance runner who won 3 consecutive US Cross Country Championships in 2013–15. He attended Stanford University, where he earned 14 All-American honors and holds an American junior record in the 5000 meters.
Marquise Derell Goodwin is an American professional football wide receiver. He also is an Olympian who competed in the long jump in track and field. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns.
Jack Strangl Bacheler is an American former long-distance runner and two-time U.S. Olympian. Born in Washington, District of Columbia, Bacheler was a founding member of the Florida Track Club at Gainesville, Florida in the late 1960s, and personally designed the club's distinctive "orange" logo. Standing 6 feet 7 inches, yet weighing only 165 pounds, he towered over most of his competitors. Now living in Clayton, North Carolina, he is married to Patricia Bacheler. Bacheler has two children, daughter Teresa (Teri), and son Matthew (Matt).
Jim Sorensen is an American Track and Field athlete, known primarily for running middle distance races. He is the current Masters M40 world record holder at 800 metres and former Masters M40 world record holder at 1500 metres.
Eritrea competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. This was the nation's fourth appearance at the Olympics.
Kim Conley is an American track and field athlete, who competes in middle and long distance track events. She finished in third place at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in the 5,000 meters, where she finished twelfth in her heat.
Donald Cabral is an American cross country and track runner from Connecticut who went on to star at Princeton University. He has been most successful in the steeplechase, but has also been a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) All-American in cross country and the 5000 meters, as well as the Ivy League champion at the 3000 meters. He is a former American collegiate steeplechase record holder and was the 2012 NCAA steeplechase champion. He competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2016 Summer Olympics in the steeplechase. At Princeton, Cabral was an eight-time NCAA All-American and ten-time individual Ivy League champion. He was a long distance running champion in high school for Glastonbury High School, winning two Class LL championships as a sophomore and then open state and New England championships as a junior and senior.
Mark Robert Conover was an American long distance runner and coach. He was born in Contra Costa County, California. He is most famous for his unexpected strategic victory at the 1988 United States Olympic Trials marathon, qualifying him for the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, where he was a member of the U.S. Team. The winning time of 2:12:26 at the Olympic trials was his personal best.
Grant Jackson Fisher is an American middle- and long-distance runner. Fisher holds American records in the 3000 m, two mile, 5000 m, and 10,000 m events. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Fisher won bronze medals in the 5000 m and 10,000 m, becoming the first American to medal in both events at an Olympic Games.
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Francis Xavier Gagliano, often referred to as Gags, is a longtime professional track and field coach. He currently coaches the New Jersey-New York Track Club.
Joe Klecker is an American long-distance runner. After a successful collegiate career with the Colorado Buffaloes he turned professional in 2020 joining the On Athletics Club coached by Dathan Ritzenhein. Klecker holds personal bests of 3:37.00 for 1500m, 7:34.14 for 3000m, 12:54.99 for 5000m, and 27:07.57 for 10000m, all set as a part of the On Athletics Club.
Weini Kelati Frezghi is an American middle and long distance runner. Born in Eritrea, she claimed asylum in the United States in July 2014 and subsequently achieved multiple victories in state and national level competitions while attending Heritage High School in Leesburg, Virginia. While competing for the University of New Mexico, Kelati won the 2019 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.