Tadesse Abraham finishes his last major race, the Olympic marathon in Paris, in 38th place. Nevertheless, he is at peace with himself.
On the last 200 meters of the 42.195 kilometers, Abraham felt many emotions and had many thoughts running through his head. He had the dream of taking part in the Olympic Games at least once, and now he was taking part for the third time in Paris. "I'm proud of myself," said Abraham, who celebrates his 42nd birthday on Monday. After the premiere in Rio, everything was an encore.
The result in his last big race was secondary for the Eritrean-born runner, although he did leave Ethiopian running legend Kenenisa Bekele (39th) behind him. Abraham had suffered a thigh injury two weeks earlier at the training camp in Kenya, which is why the 2018 European Championship silver medallist traveled to Paris the Thursday before last to receive the best possible treatment. "Until yesterday, I wasn't sure whether I would be able to run," said Abraham. Nevertheless, he wasn't complaining, even though August 10, 2024 had been on his mind for years. "Anything can happen in professional sport. You have to accept that. But what I didn't want was to start and then give up."
"What more could I want?"
The fact that he didn't run again after the injury until the marathon start, apart from a short warm-up on Friday, was something he felt. "After twenty kilometers, when it went downhill, the muscle reacted," said Abraham. He found the many Swiss flags on the course "magical. What more could I want?"
Abraham ends his professional career at the end of the year with the New Year's Eve run. Nevertheless, Paris was not his last marathon, if everything goes normally. He plans to run in Valencia on December 1. After beating his six-year-old Swiss record in Zurich in 2022, he was faster twice more. In March, he clocked 2:05:01 in Barcelona. In Valencia, he now wants to find out what his limit is. He is convinced that he has 2:04 hours in his legs. That is why he will go "all in".
Would like to stay in athletics
Abraham, who left for Switzerland at the World Cross Country Championships in Brussels in 2004 and has held a Swiss passport since 2014, did everything he could to make his career a success, culminating in 7th place at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He decided not to train - in the hope that sport would open a door. He would like to pass on his knowledge to young people. "That would be an honor. But I'm open to anything." Abraham is particularly looking forward to spending more time with his family - he is the father of a son. For now, however, this has to take a back seat for his last big goal.
