Abdinasir Said Ibrahim (born July 1, 1989^[1]) is a Somali athlete. He represented Somalia at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, competing in the 5000 metres race. He finished in 37th and last place, with a time of 14:21.58.^[2] The International Association of Athletics Federations recorded the time as a personal best.^[1]

Ibrahim had difficulties training in Somalia. With Mogadishu Stadium turned into a "military compound for insurgents", Abdinasir and fellow Somali athlete Samia Yusuf Omar trained in Coni Stadium (in Mogadishu), which has been described as "an artillery-pocked structure built in 1958 which has no track, endless divots, and has been overtaken by weeds and plants".^[3]

Abdinasir described being threatened by insurgents, who believed that his participation in official track events was a form of support for the Somali government:

“Once, the insurgents were very unhappy. When we went back home, my friends and I were rounded up and we were told if we did it again, we would get killed. Some of my friends stopped being in sports. I had many phone calls threatening me, that if I didn’t stop running, I would get killed. Lately, I do not have these problems. I think probably they realized we just wanted to be athletes and were not involved with the government.”^[3]

[edit] External links

• Photo of Abdinasir Said Ibrahim (Xinhua)

[edit] References

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