Olympic medalist stands up for peace

In one gesture displayed on an international stage, Feyisa Lilesa spoke out against injustice.

Simultaneously, it risked the safety of himself and his family, turning the 26-year old Ethiopian into an asylum seeker.

While running toward a silver-medal finish at August’s Rio Olympics, Lilesa raised his arms above his head and crossed them in an “X” shape. He repeated the move several times, and the silent gesture generated international attention.

Lilesa’s move spoke out against violence against his Oromo people in Ethiopia. The largest ethnic group (35 million) in Ethiopia had protested the government for months against injustices, stemming from a plan to take away Oromia land for a development project. The protests have led to violence, persecution and crackdowns by security forces.

“This is not political,” Lilesa, who is running in Sunday’s Honolulu Marathon, said of his gesture. “I need peace. Why anybody kill anything? This is to stop killing. We need peace.”

After post-race interviews and the medal ceremony, Lilesa’s next race began. Fearing for his safety at home, and despite government reassurance, he sought asylum. He spent 18 days in Rio before landing in Washington, D.C. His wife and two children remain in Ethiopia and keep in contact with him.

“My life is very good in the USA,” Lilesa said. “But I am far from my family.”

He’s cognizant of the situation in Ethiopia, of injustice, of violence. He feared for his safety training for the Olympics in Ethiopia.

Two months before Rio, Human Rights Watch issued a report condemning the excessive and lethal force used by security forces against largely peaceful protests.

The Associated Press reported the Ethiopian government declared a state of emergency in October following a week of anti-government violence. The internet has been blocked in parts of the country to prevent protesters from accessing social media.

“If I go today … they’ll kill me,” Lilesa said. “I cannot go back to (the) country ever again.”

Lilesa did interviews in Washington, D.C., bringing further attention to his country, and met with Ethiopians living in D.C. and Minneapolis. Now he’s training in Flagstaff, Ariz., a high-altitude town home to many professional runners. Training partners include Abdi Abdirahman, who finished third in October’s New York City Marathon, and Yonas Mebrahtu, an Eritrean who ran at Iowa State and Graceland. After missing a month and a half of running following Rio, Lilesa is racking up 100-kilometer (62-mile) weeks.

“Very good people in Flagstaff,” Lilesa said. “When I go the gym, swim, they invite (me).”

Lilesa feels his fitness level is fine, and wants to win Sunday’s marathon. He won February’s Tokyo Marathon and ran in the lead pack in Rio. Beyond Honolulu, he wants to reunite with his family and achieve peace in Ethiopia.

“My hope is Ethiopia is like another country, democratic,” Lilesa said.

The silver medal remains with Lilesa, a reminder of not just his accomplishment, but a pursuit for something greater than just a race.

“When Ethiopia people will get freedom, this is my gift,” Lilesa said. “This Olympic (medal) for them, it’s my gift.”

Defending champion Filex Kiprotich is not competing this year. Wilson Chebet of Kenya will be going after his second title after winning in 2014 and finishing second last year.

Kenyans Robert Kwambai, Festus Talam and Lawrence Cherono have all won marathons this year. Ethiopia’s Deribe Robi rounds out the elite men’s field. Talam was the surprise winner at October’s Eindhoven Marathon in the Netherlands. Making his marathon debut, the 21-year-old entered as a pacemaker and meant to set the pace and tone for the lead pack. Robi, one of the race favorites, dropped from the lead pack after the midway point and others soon fell out of contention, unable to keep with Talam’s pace. Pacemakers usually don’t finish marathons, but Talam continued through, winning in 2 hours, 6 minutes and 26 seconds.