Photo: Julian Mason from London, UK / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Meb Keflezighi is one of those athletes whose story I find genuinely moving. Born in Asmara, Eritrea, he immigrated to the United States, ran out of San Diego and UCLA, and seized Olympic marathon silver in 2004. What strikes me most is his refusal to fade. He kept returning from injury, kept competing at the top into his late thirties, all on a frame far smaller than his rivals. He embodies the immigrant arc America likes to tell about itself, and he earned every line of it on the road. To me he's a model of grit, gratitude, and quiet leadership.
Overview
Mebrahtom "Meb" Keflezighi (; Tigrinya: መብራህቶም ክፍለዝጊ, Mebrāhtōm Kifl'izgī; born May 5, 1975) 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.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Meb Keflezighi
- Name (Japanese)
- メブ・ケフレジギ
- Reading
- めぶ・けふれじぎ
- Born
- May 5, 1975 (age 51)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Rabbit
- Origin
- Asmara, Eritrea
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 170 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- marathon runner / long-distance runner / athletics competitor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- San Diego High School
- University
- University of California, Los Angeles
Awards & achievements
- 2007 Great Immigrants Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Marathon runner — see all → · Long-distance runner — see all →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.