American Mebrahtom (Meb) Keflezighi stunned Kenya and the rest of the world on Sunday by winning the New York City Marathon. Kaflezighi at 34 is considered old for the sport, and had to overcome a serious hip injury.
It was the first time in 27 years that an American has won the race. Back in 1982 when Alberto Salazar was the last American to take the honor, Ronald Reagan was President and Michael Jackson released Thriller.
Perhaps even more impressively, five other Americans finished in the top ten – the first time America has been dominant in nearly three decades.
UPDATE:
Darren Rovell of CNBC slighted Keflexighi’s Americanhood here. With this gem as a stand-out:
Meb Keflezighi, who won yesterday in New York, is technically American by virtue of him becoming a citizen in 1998, but the fact that he’s not American-born takes away from the magnitude of the achievement the headline implies.
And then somewhat came to his senses here.
All I was saying was that we should celebrate an American marathon champion who has completely been brought up through the American system.
This kind of thinking makes acceptable the derision of any immigrant children, who grow up and make something of themselves in the only country they ever really considered home.
How American is that?
