Tucson, Arizona – The Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission on Saturday night inducted Arizona State cross country and track and field alumnus Abdi Abdirahman into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame.
Abdirahman is one of the most decorated runners in Arizona cross country and track and field history. Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Mr. Abdirahman moved to Tucson with his family and graduated from Tucson High School in 1995. After graduating from Pima, he attended community college and then transferred to Arizona where he spent his middle and high school years. Abdirahman finished his Wildcat career as a three-time All-American in outdoor track and field, a two-time All-American in indoor track and field, and a two-time All-American in cross country. He is a four-time conference champion, twice in the outdoor 5k, once in the outdoor 10k and once in cross country.
As a junior, Abdirahman placed seventh at the 1997 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Greenville, South Carolina, in his first cross country season as a Wildcat. He later won numerous awards in his senior year as well. Abdirahman was the conference champion at the 1998 Pac-10 Cross Country Championships, taking first place with a time of 23 minutes, 23 seconds. He was also named his 1998 Pac-10 Conference Athlete of the Year. He finished second at the 1998 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Lawrence, Kansas to conclude his season and Wildcat cross country career. His first-team finish helped the Arizona men's team finish 11th overall at the championship. He finished as both a junior and a senior at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, earning All-American honors.
In indoor track and field, Abdirahman placed seventh consecutively in the men's 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, posting times of 14:06.38 in 1998 and 14:10.10 in 1999. These finishes earned him a spot in the indoor track and field championships. -American Honor. As for outdoor track and field, Abdirahman finished his career as a three-time conference champion. As a junior in 1998, he won both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters at the Pac-10 Conference Championships. He then competed in the 5,000 meters as a senior at the 1999 Pac-10 Conference Championships. At the 1998 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Abdirahman placed second in the 5,000 meters in 13:40.61 and fifth in the 10,000 meters in 28:46.36. The following year, he placed sixth in the 10,000 meters at the 1999 NCAA Outdoor Championships with a time of 29:34.03. All three of those top-8 finishes earned him first-team All-American honors. His 10,000-meter collegiate best time of 28:06.65 ranks second in school history, and his 5,000-meter collegiate best time of 13:40.61 ranks seventh in school history.
After graduating from the University of Arizona, Abdirahman continued running professionally and published a long list of accomplishments. Topping that list are five Olympic appearances in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2020/21. In 2000, Abdirahman officially became a US citizen and he qualified to compete in the 2000 Olympic Games as part of his USA team. He placed 10th in the competition under 10,000. He finished 15th in the 10,000 meters in 2004 and then 15th in 2008. He ran the Olympic marathon for the first time in 2012 instead of the 10,000 meters. He most recently finished 41st in the marathon in 2020/21, qualifying at the astonishing age of 43.
Abdirahman has competed in eight world championships, including five in cross country and three in track and field (10,000 meters). His best finish at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships was 11th in 2002, and his best finish at the IAAF World Championships was 7th in the 10,000m in 2007. Additionally, he has won his USATF Championship 10,000 meters four times, winning in 2001, 2005, 2007, and 2008. His other performances in the 10,000 meters at the USATF Championships include second place twice and third place once. , one 5th place finish, one 8th place finish, and one 15th place finish. He once placed 7th in the 5,000 meters.
At the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon, Abdirahman broke the USATF Masters Marathon record with a time of 2:11:34, placing 9th. He then lowered that time to 2:10:03 at the 2020 Olympic Trials, winning and qualifying for the Olympics at age 43. In 2017, he placed third at the TCS New York City Marathon, becoming the oldest male competitor to reach the podium in New York. He has also finished 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th (twice), and 14th at the New York City Marathon. In addition, at the Olympic team trials, in 2000 he took third place in the 10,000 meters, and in 2012 he took third place in the marathon. He also competed in the Chicago Marathon (4th place), the Boston Marathon (6th place and he placed 15th twice), and the USATF Half. Marathon Championship (winner in 2012, 7th place in 2016). Other he He has also performed well in USATF Championship events. He won the Mile Road Running Championship in 2005 and 2006, finishing 6th in 2011, 10th in 2016, and 13th in 2012.
In 2004, he was inducted into the Arizona Athletics Sports Hall of Fame. In 2019 he was inducted into the Pima County Sports Hall of Fame. Abdirahman still lives in Tucson.
The event will be held in Scottsdale, and Abdirahman will host Rich Dozer, Terry Francona, Richard Jefferson, Jerry Kindall, Charlie Turner Thorne, Bobby Winkles and others in 2023. He joined the Hall of Fame.
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