Gaan we de Ethiopische langlaufer nog volgen ?

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Robel Teklemariam is changing the climate about skiers. It took three years of convincing, but the 1993 Colorado Rocky Mountain School graduate is going to compete in the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Even though he splits time between Madison, Wis., and Crested Butte, Teklemariam won't be wearing the red, white and blue of the United States when he goes to Turin, Italy.

He won't be surrounded by a bunch of teammates either.

Teklemariam will be skiing for Ethiopia.

Yes, Ethiopia, the African country.

Not surprisingly, Teklemariam is the first Ethiopian-born citizen to represent that country at the Winter Olympic Games.

Unlike, the famed Jamaican bobsled team of a few Olympiads back, Teklemariam, 31, is a legitimate skier. Resuming serious training and competition three years ago, Teklemariam now hopes to compete in both alpine and Nordic events in Italy, but his main focus will be on the Nordic event.

Teklemariam's former coach at CRMS, Mark Clark, said he has skill.

"He's a legitimate athlete in that sport," Clark said. "There have been athletes from nonskiing countries that have just walked around the course, but that's not Robel.

"He's one of the better athletes I've ever coached here," said Clark, who's been affiliated with the school for 27 years.

During his senior year at CRMS, Teklemariam was ranked as one of the top-3 cross-country skiers in the region.

Teklemariam's goals at Turin are simple: Earn respect for Ethiopia as a skiing country and turn in some good performances.

"I don't want to be a novelty," he said. "What I want to do is bring awareness that athletes from non-skiing countries can compete in the Olympics."

Earning a medal will be a real uphill test for Teklemariam, but he's going to compete to the best of his abilities.
"I'm a pretty competitive person," he said. "I'd love to win, but I'm a realist. I want to race well enough to equal other skiing countries."

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Op vrijdag 10 februari 2006 20:47 schreef zjroentje het volgende:
Nee.

Want hij heeft een startverbod voor 5 dagen.

De snoeperd.

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Op vrijdag 10 februari 2006 22:03 schreef Flurry het volgende:

[..]

waarom dan?

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Op vrijdag 10 februari 2006 23:22 schreef zjroentje het volgende:

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Een te hoge hemoglobinewaarde in zijn bloed.

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Op zaterdag 11 februari 2006 20:27 schreef tong80 het volgende:
Hij heeft nog een paar dagen.

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Op vrijdag 10 februari 2006 23:23 schreef Falco het volgende:
[afbeelding]
Vrolijke knakker!