With the stunning opening ceremony now complete at the 2024 Olympics games in Paris, France, we’re continuing to spotlight world-class immigrant athletes who are or have competed for the U.S. National Team. Today, we recognize U.S. long-distance runner Abdi Abdirahman, who became the oldest runner to make the U.S. Olympic team in 2020.
Born on January 1, 1977, in Mogadishu, Somalia, Abdi Abdirahman and his family were forced into refugee camps while he was young. They moved to the U.S. and settled in Arizona when he was just 16 years old to escape the Somali Civil War.
Unlike many of his fellow Olympians, Abdirahman did not begin or even take interest in Track and Field until college. Attending Pima Community College in Arizona, Abdi befriended many student-athletes who were constantly running to and from their respective team practices and games, sparking Abdi’s interest in competitive spirit and camaraderie. After joining the track team, he was unprepared for his first practice, wearing jeans and boots to run five miles. Nonetheless, his skills would shine through, as he finished second in that initial run.
While competing, an assistant coach for the University of Arizona recognized Abdi’s skill and potential before recruiting and offering him a scholarship. From there, Abdirahman’s running career took off.
In 2000, Abdi gained U.S. citizenship just in time to qualify for his first Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He competed in the 10,000-meter race in his initial Olympic competition, finishing in 10th place. He competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics in the same event. Following the 2008 Games, Abdirahman began training for the marathon. Though he entered the 2012 games, he failed to finish the marathon competition after tearing his Achilles tendon. But he would return to compete and finish the race eight years later in the 2020 Beijing Olympics, making him the oldest American runner to make the U.S. Olympic Team, at age 43
Abdi Abdirahman is known for his slow gait and relaxed approach to running.
He is a four-time national champion in the 10,000-meter race and was inducted into the Road Runners Club of America Distance Running Hall of Fame in 2012.
Read more about the other refugee and immigrant Olympians we have featured: